DOTr’s Bautista: Keep mask mandate on public transportation

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said Saturday that he was in favor of wearing face masks on public transportation to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections.

Bautista’s statement came after the Department of Health (DOH) said that commuters must keep their face mask on while waiting in line for public transportation as the easing of the wearing of the protective cover looms. 

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has already recommended

According to Bautista, the DOTr maintains strict health and safety protocols on public transportation as part of the new normal.

Its guidelines include the following: no talking or making phone calls; no eating; keeping public utility vehicles well ventilated; frequent disinfection; no passengers with COVID-19 symptoms are to be allowed on board public transportation; and maintaining an appropriate physical distance.

"Department of Transportation Secretary Jaime J. Bautista favors using face masks while using public transportation," the DOTr said in a statement. 

“Our collective fight against the COVID-19 pandemic is showing signs that we are making improvements in bringing down the number of cases." 

“But the virus is still around, it is not over yet. We need to remain vigilant, especially in public areas, until such time that we have totally won against COVID-19,” it added. 

On Friday, DOH officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said that face masks should only be removed in “low-risk settings” and by “low-risk individuals.”

She also urged parents to continue the use of face masks for their children, especially since classes are held indoors most of the time. 

Malacañang previously said that the recommendation was to make optional the wearing of face masks in open spaces or non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation, provided that the country’s COVID-19 booster uptake improves. — VBL, GMA News