BACOLOD City – Starting Monday, tricycles and pedicabs will be allowed to ply in all towns and cities in Negros Occidental, excluding this capital city.
This is part of the adjustments of the ongoing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the province, according to Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson who announced this move through Executive Order (EO) 20-20-B.
“This will slowly allow this sector to start earning an income. These drivers are one of most-hit because of the ECQ. We all know that they are daily wage earners and we feel that by allowing some sort of normalcy, this will lead to a wider scope,” the governor said.
Tricycles will be allowed to ply with up to three passengers only while pedicabs will be able to travel with only one passenger.
However, operations of public utility vehicles like buses and jeepneys are still suspended.
Each local government unit through its traffic management authorities shall devise a scheme to only allow 50 percent of its public transport franchises to operate daily.
“Physical distancing shall he observed by the driver and the passengers,” Lacson stated on his EO.
Aside from modifying the public transport, the latest EO also ordered the resumption of government and private construction projects, thus allowing the hardware stores to open and conduct business.
Lacson said, during the ECQ from March 30 up to present, there has been no reported local transmission of corona virus disease-2019 (COVID-19) within the 12 component cities and 19 municipalities of the province.
“Therefore, it is now safe to plan the transition from ECQ to GCQ,” he added.
On his part, Mayor Evelio Leonardia said the city will still be placed under ECQ until April 30.
As of Friday, according to the City Heath Office, Bacolod has seven COVID-19 patients, six of whom are now considered “clinically recovered” while another one died./PN