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Give booster shots to PUV drivers — BBM

November 24, 2021 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 216 views

PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. asked the government to administer booster shots to frontline transport workers as the economy gradually reopens amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) standard-bearer said that more public utility vehicle (PUV) drivers would be required to service the increasing number of people relying on public transportation.

Marcos added that the PUV drivers would require higher levels of protection due to the increased risks of exposure to the coronavirus.

“Drivers and PUV operators are essential workers who are exposed to the risks of COVID-19. They provide a service that is crucial to our economic recovery. It is only fitting that we provide them the added protection that booster shots can provide,” Marcos said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) has allowed an increase in public transport capacity to 70% as of November 4.

Marcos called on the Department of Transportation (DoTr) to work with transport groups to ensure more PUV drivers and operators get their COVID-19 jabs.

“The government can work with our friends from the transport sector to ensure that 100% vaccination rate among our PUV workers is achieved. Once this has been done, we can now safely increase the public transport capacity to 100%. The important thing is that we help the transport sector recover rapidly from this pandemic,” Marcos added.

Public transport sector workers are among the hardest hit by the pandemic as traditional PUV routes were closed due to the series of lockdowns imposed at the height of the COVID-19 surge.

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