18/09/2020
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PRESS STATEMENT: HPAAC welcomes the decision of government to revert to 1-meter physical distancing in PUVs
The Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against Covid-19 (HPAAC.org.ph), a coalition of more than 160 organizations composed of doctors, nurses, midwives, and allied medical professionals working closely with the public and private sector in pushing for a comprehensive strategy to address the COVID-19 pandemic, welcomes the decision of the government to suspend the policy of reducing the 1-meter physical distancing requirement in public utility vehicles (PUVs).
HPAAC believes that this move by the government averted additional COVID-19 transmissions that reduced physical distancing may have caused. Yesterday, there were 2,600 reported new cases of COVID-19 in the Greater Manila Area. The study made by HPAAC estimates that given the current context, reducing physical distancing in the transport sector to 0.75 meter will aggravate this by adding 700 new daily infections despite simultaneous implementation of other strategies such as face shields and masks. These 700 additional infected individuals will result in 25,000 additional contacts based on T3’s ratio of 1:37. Based on current evidence on the disease, Of the 700 newly infected individuals, 140 will be hospitalized and 7 will die. These figures are based on conservative assumptions, and the real picture could be worse.
We thank the Department of Transportation for responding to this information by reverting to 1-meter distancing starting yesterday, subject to the final decision of the president. HPAAC also thanks the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and all NCR mayors for their steadfast support to the appropriate minimum of 1-meter distance as policy. We also thank Sen. B**g Go for heeding our call and appealing to the IATF to reconsider the policy of distancing reduction. We express our gratitude to everyone in the government and the private sector who supported this cause. HPAAC believes that there’s power in solidarity. The broad support from various sectors fuels our passion to continue to stand for evidence-informed policies and evidence-based interventions that continue to protect our fellow Filipinos from this pandemic.
We emphasize that reviving the economy and protecting lives must go hand-in-hand in our COVID-19 response. Reducing physical distancing is not our only option to address transportation shortage. Having consulted the transportation sector, we reiterate our strong recommendation for the following: :
1.) Incentivize return to operation of PUVs by early release of subsidies,
2.) Facilitate service contracting of transport providers,
3.) Increase active transport options soonest (e.g. bicycle lanes, walkways), and
4.) Implement staggered work hours for selected businesses to reduce vehicle congestion
To end, we see the decision of the government to suspend the policy of reducing physical distancing as a sign that our policymakers are seriously weighing the different factors regarding this important public health decision. We pray that our leaders retain the 1-meter policy until the situation becomes more favorable.
