It’s good that the Department of Transportation has again required people to wear face masks on trains—MRT, LRT and PNR—because they are too overcrowded during peak hours—before and after work and school—and even if not airconditioned is risky enough for spreading viruses and bacteria.
For a while I was scared for people taking this public transport because—between pre and post pandemic—nothing much has changed in its systems: trains are all cramped and undependable which forces commuters to squeeze their way into the jampacked trains just to be home a bit earlier than taking buses.
At least for now, I heave a sigh of relief knowing that DoTr has again made it mandatory for commuters to use face masks the proper way upon the recommendation of health experts.
“Amid rising COVID-19 cases across the country, the face mask mandate will remain to be strictly enforced in all trains of the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Philippine National Railways (PNR),” the agency said.
DoTr Assistant Secretary for Railways Jorjette B. Aquino said medical professionals in the railways sector stressed that the risk of COVID-19 transmission remains present on our trains as they are enclosed spaces.
The face mask policy has been mandatory inside LRT Lines 1 and 2 and MRT Line 3 stations, but optional for PNR stations as these are all open spaces.
Executive Order No. 3 issued by Malacañang in September 2022 allowed the voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings or in open spaces and non-crowded outdoor areas with good ventilation.
On March 15, the Manila International Airport Authority likewise updated its protocols with face mask becoming optional inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals but still required inside the aircraft.
The DoTr is also encouraging the public to get their second booster shots to help increase their immunity against the virus, which the World Health Organization says is still very much around.
The Department of Health (DoH) gave the green light on April 12 for the administration of second booster jabs to the general population.
The DoH has recorded 2,386 coronavirus infections from April 10 to 16, while the daily average rose by 23 percent to 341 cases versus a week earlier.
The WHO warned that the Covid pandemic was still volatile, saying there could be further trouble before the virus settles into a predictable pattern.
In the last 28 days, more than 23,000 deaths and three million new cases have been reported to the WHO, in the context of much-reduced testing.
While the numbers are decreasing, “that’s still a lot of people dying and that’s still a lot of people getting sick”, WHO emergencies director Michael Ryan told international media.
He said respiratory viruses do not pass from a pandemic to an endemic phase, but instead move to low levels of activity with potentially seasonal epidemic peaks.
“We don’t turn off a pandemic switch,” said Ryan.
“It’s much more likely that we’re going to see… a bumpy road to a more predictable pattern.”
The WHO’s emergency committee on Covid-19 meets every three months and is due to assemble in early May.
As at its previous meetings, it will decide whether the virus still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) — the highest level of alert that the UN health agency can sound.
The WHO declared Covid-19 a PHEIC on January 30, 2020, when there were fewer than 100 cases and no deaths outside China.
But it was not until WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the situation as a pandemic in March 2020 that the world jolted into action.
Ryan said the virus would not be eliminated and would, like influenza, still cause significant respiratory disease in vulnerable people.
Some countries still have large populations of highly vulnerable people who are unvaccinated, he said, while in others Covid is no longer an emergency event.
The Covid-19 committee presents its advice to Tedros — who has the final say — on whether the virus still constitutes a PHEIC.
Locally, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has raised to Alert Level 2 in several areas until end April as part of the response against COVID-19.
Under IATF Resolution No. 6-C, these areas are under Level 2: Benguet; Ifugao; Quezon Province; Palawan; Camarines Norte; Masbate; Antique; Negros Occidental; Bohol; Cebu Province; Negros Oriental; Leyte; Western Samar; Lanao del Norte; Davao de Oro; Davao del Norte; Davao del Sur; Davao Occidental; North Cotabato; Sarangani; Sultan Kudarat; Dinagat Islands; Basilan; Maguindanao; Sulu and Tawi-Tawi.
Alert Level 2 means some establishments can operate at a maximum of 50 percent indoor venue capacity for fully vaccinated individuals and those below 18 years of age, even if unvaccinated, and 70 percent outdoor venue capacity.
My take
The DoTr should also impose the mandatory mask wearing in airconditioned buses and public transportation for the safety of all passengers, even those in jeepneys and non-AC buses since they are stuck in the same traffic condition and therefore having those cramped transport systems would also be a potential source of contagion and viral spread.
As for tricycles, since based on my experience, they are not cramping commuters in a tight space and are mostly open-air riding units meant for short distances then wearing of face masks can be optional.
But definitely churches on a Sunday must require physical distancing and, in case of overcrowding, mask wearing also.