INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said 10,000 motorcycle riders have been apprehended throughout the country for back-riding in violation of government restrictions on physical distancing amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Año made the statement as he defended the government’s decision to put up barriers between the driver and passenger for motorcycle back-riding, which remains limited to couples and live-in partners.
“Kailangan nating gawin ito (We have to do this),” said Año, a key member of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and vice chairman of the National Task Force against COVID-19.
He said that from July 10, when back-riding among couples and live-in partners was permitted by the IATF, to July 20, about 10,000 violators have been apprehended because they could not present evidence that they are couples or live-in partners.
The IATF allowed back-riding among couples provided that they put up a body shield between the driver and the passenger. Motorcycle riders have until the end of the month to install the barriers or shields.
Officials have said they would soon allow back-riding among relatives.
But Año lamented: “Papano natin papayagan later on yung magkakapamilya kung ngayon pa lang ay nagba-violate na? (How can we allow relatives later on when there are already violations now?”
On criticisms that the barriers would put to risk the driver and the passenger, Año said this was considered by the government before coming up with the decision. “This is safe, it’s not dangerous but you really have to observe speed limit, do not overspeed),” he said.
Año said the government cannot agree to the wearing of helmets only, noting that they’ve observed that some drivers and passengers open the face shield of their helmets when they are not transiting or not moving.
To motorcycle enthusiasts, Año said they are not required to install the barriers in their motorcycles as long as they are not going to accommodate passengers.
Meanwhile, Quezon City mayor Joy Belmonte on Sunday led the launching of BANTAI COVID-19 project which aims to remotely reach and monitor those who have been exposed to COVID-19 positive individuals in a real-time manner and via short message service.
“The latest method will help spare healthcare workers from unnecessary exposure and risks,” Belmonte said.
Belmonte expressed gratitude Quezon City was chosen as the pilot site for the project’s implementation, which she said was “timely.”
“We welcome this project as this pandemic has driven all of us to innovate and find new ways to address our emerging problems,” said Belmonte.
Dr. Rolando Cruz, head of the QC Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit, said the Artificial Intelligence-based project will help build a centralized database for COVID-19 patients and data that are accessible to health workers at any given time.
“This will give us a daily census of patients’ real-time status including the date of their admission, discharge and recovery, among others. There will be more data for us to interpret and use,” said Cruz.
