PUJ drivers reported letting in passengers w/o face masks

Reports have reached the City Mayor’s Office regarding several drivers of `public utility jeepneys plying city roads who allow their passengers to remove their face masks and face shields while inside their vehicles.
The erring drivers reportedly tell their passengers to put back their face masks and face shields only when nearing a checkpoint.
Some of the PUJ of the PUJ drivers and barkers were also observed to be allegedly guilty of this omission.
Lawyer Althea Alberto, special assistant to the mayor, said that this is counter to a traffic advisory earlier issued by the Department of Transportation requiring all passengers using any mode of public transportation to wear face shields, aside from face masks.
She said that PUJ and other public utility drivers and barkers are bound to remind their passengers to wear face masks and face shields during the entire duration of the trip and not remove these while inside the vehicle.
Alberto is asking the public to report such violations to the authorities so that these can be legally dealt with.
She echoed Mayor Benjamin Magalong’s continuous appeal for everybody’s cooperation and support by strictly adhering to health regulations and advisories to mitigate the spread of the Covid-19.
In a memorandum circular, the DOTr has ordered all officials and heads of its various transportation sectors to enjoin, within their respective jurisdictions, the mandatory wearing of face shields for all passengers in areas where public transportation is allowed.
The initiative aims to further reduce the risk of transmitting the Covid-19 in public transport facilities as health authorities have pointed out that the use of face shields and masks reduces exposure to and emission of respiratory droplets considerably.
In a Memorandum Circular released on Aug. 4, the Department of Transportation has ordered all officials and heads of various transportation sectors to enjoin, within their jurisdictions, the mandatory wearing of face shields for all passengers in areas where public transportation is allowed.
The directive applies to all public transportation throughout the country. – Gaby Keith