Some 50 tricycle drivers in Mandaluyong City were placed under isolation after testing positive in a coronavirus rapid testing, a city official disclosed Monday.
This was after the local government moved to test all tricycle drivers in the city as part of the requirements for the resumption of their limited operation.
Jimmy Isidro, City Public Information officer and chief-of-staff of Mayor Carmelita Abalos, said the local government has already tested 3,000 tricycle drivers.
“Around 50 of them tested positive in the rapid testing. They have already underwent swab testing,” Isidro told the Manila Bulletin in a phone interview.
He added the drivers were now placed under isolation and awaiting for the result of their confirmatory polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.
The Mandaluyong City government has earlier approved the limited the operation of tricycles in the city after two months of no operation because of the enhanced community quarantine.
As part of the condition for the resumption of their operation, all tricycle drivers must undergo rapid antibody test.
“Drivers who will be reactive in the test will undergo a confirmatory PCR test in compliance with the protocols of the Department of Health (DOH),” Abalos said.
Based on the guidelines of the local government, a tricycle can only transport one passenger at a time. Backriding is not allowed.
A plastic barrier must also be installed between the driver and the passenger. Drivers are also required to wear face masks and gloves.
According to Isidro, the City Council has approved the fixed P20 tricycle fare recently.
He added that tricycles will start plying the streets once all the guidelines and conditions of the local government have been complied with.
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