The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has ordered Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) drivers and conductors to properly wear face masks at all times. Through Memorandum Circular No. 2020-005,
LTFRB is also directing all terminal operators to ensure proper sanitation and cleanliness in their premises, such as providing face masks and disinfectant or sanitizer dispensers for free use of passengers.
This stemmed from the announcement of the Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday, January 30, of the first case of novel coronavirus (nCoV) in the Philippines, a 38-year-old Chinese woman confined at a government hospital in the country.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the nCoV 2019 ‘”is a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV).
A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.
” Furthermore, the said memorandum states that this is to provide safe public land transportation service to the commuting public. Said memorandum shall take effective immediately to mitigate the outbreak of 2019-nCoV.