By Jean Fernando The Pasay City government will give free coronavirus disease (COVID-19) rapid tests to all journalists and media persons covering the city, as well as market vendors and drivers of tricycles and pedicabs. Emi Calixto-Rubiano (FACEBOOK / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) “This is another addition to our overall COVID-19 response, especially in the component of preventing the spread of the virus in our city and our people,” Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano said. Rubiano said journalists, vendors, and drivers of tricycle and pedicabs are much exposed to the risk of contamination because of the nature of their profession which entails their close interaction with the public. “We need to protect them and the public that they deal with,” Rubiano added. The mayor said the results of the rapid tests will help the City Health Office identify COVID-19 cases and serve as a basis for determining who needs medical assistance and what form of assistance should be given. Rubiano explained that all mainstream media entities and social media sites have assigned reporters and crew to cover the city on a daily basis to relay important information about Pasay City to its residents and the general public. She also said the Geneva-based international non-government organization Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) reported that “media workers play an important role in the fight against COVID-19 even as they face heightened and grave health risks as they pursue crucial stories on the COVID-19 crisis.” The mayor said the group recently reported that "at least 127 journalists in 31countries have died due to the virus over the past three months, and several hundred media workers tested positive for the virus, and some media had to be temporarily closed." Rubiano said the PEC noted that "the number represents a minimum confirmed tally, and that many more reporters are likely to have succumbed to the pandemic.’ Meanwhile, markets and talipapa vendors and drivers of tricycles and pedicabs are also prone to the virus as well as to transmitting it to others because they likewise closely interact with their clients. There are about 5,800 tricycles and pedicabs and some hundreds of vendors in the city. The city government allowed the return into operation of tricycles and pedicabs provided that they comply with health and safety protocols as laid down by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases, such as the mandatory wearing of face masks, installation of non-permeable barrier between the driver and the passenger, use of alcohol and hand sanitizers, and regular disinfection of the unit. They are also covered by a color-coding scheme to give equal opportunities for all to operate while at the same time limiting the numbers of vehicles plying the streets each day. Vendors are likewise required by the city government to implement health and safety protocols, including complying with the Market Day Scheme to prevent the crowding of buyers and to give equal opportunities to all city residents as well as clients from other localities to buy their essentials from the different markets and talipapa locations in the city.