Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 7) — The Department of Transportation will resume work on railways that need repair and maintenance after the Inter-agency Task Force for the Emerging Infectious Diseases told them to go ahead, subject to conditions.
“The IATF approves the request of the Department of Transportation to allow the resumption of utility relocation works and resume specified limited works across 13 rail projects,” task force spokesperson Karlo Nograles said in a television briefing on Tuesday.
One of the projects is the rail replacement work for Metro Rail Transit Line or MRT 3, Nograles added.
The following are the stipulations set by the IATF while rehabilitation and reconstruction work is ongoing:
– A skeleton staffing pattern
– Provision of on or near-site accommodations and/or point-to-point shuttle services
– Regular disinfection of workplaces, shuttles, and accommodations
– Regular monitoring of personnel’s health especially for COVID-19 symptoms
– Observance of strict physical distancing measures, proper hand hygiene and all other precautionary measures at all times
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier approved the recommendations of the IATF to restrict the movement of people and suspend mass transport. Most people in Luzon except for those rendering vital services were told to stay at home in a bid to stem the spread of COVID-19.
The quarantine, originally scheduled to end at midnight of April 13, has been extended to until 11:59 p.m. of April 30, Nograles said.
