May COVID pa! Masks remain mandatory in LRT, MRT, PNR -- DOTr

The pandemic isn’t over as the number of COVID-19 cases has slowly begun to rise once again in the Metro Manila area, as well as in other provinces.

As such, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) announced in an April 2023 press statement that commuters on the country's major rail networks must continue to wear face masks.

These include the Light Rail Transit (LRT), Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and the Philippine National Railways (PNR). The mandate also applies to LRT-1, LRT-2 and MRT-3 stations, but not to PNR stations, which are all open-air.

"Our medical professional in the railways sector stressed that the risk of COVID-19 transmission remains present in our trains as they are enclosed spaces," said DOTr assistant secretary for railways Jorjette Aquino.

"Even if you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, you can still become infected and potentially spread the virus to others," she added. 

A quick breath of fresh air

On October 2022, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued Executive Order No. 7 that relaxed the government's face mask policy.

The order made mask use voluntary in indoor and outdoor spaces, excluding healthcare facilities and public transportation by air, land or sea.

While this gave the general public a bit more breathing room, it didn’t help to stem the steady number of growing cases. 

Cases on the rise

In a weekly bulletin, the Department of Health reported a 23-percent increase in the Philippines' daily average number of COVID-19 cases.

Infection cases rose to 341 from April 10 to 16, 2023. This is higher than the 278 cases reported the week before.

With that in mind, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases has maintained Alert Level 1 to Metro Manila including 56 other provinces until April 30, 2023.

Alert Level 1 permits intrazonal and interzonal travel with no restrictions based on age and co-morbidities.

Meanwhile, Alert Level 2 was also issued for the remaining 26 areas. The DOH said these areas, which have been under this alert status since June 2022, maintain a higher status because of below-target COVID-19 vaccination rates.

Places under Alert Level 2 are mandated to implement restrictions like 50 percent capacity in indoor establishments for fully vaccinated adults and 70 percent capacity outdoors.

Stay safe in your travels, folks!

AutoFun Philippines Senior Writer VJ Bacungan contributed to this story.

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