Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco on Tuesday called the Department of Transportation’s (DOTr) decision to reduce the physical distancing in public transportations as "reckless," saying the department should have first “waited for the recommendation of health experts.”
"A reckless decision on Covid-19 (coronavirus disease), from the lead agency that should regulate reckless driving. Covid-19 is more lethal, the should have waited for the recommendation of Health experts," Tiangco said on Twitter.
Tiangco replied to a tweet made by former special adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19 Dr. Tony Leachon, who said that DOTr’s guidelines on public transport is “reckless and risky.”
“We have not flattened the curve; new cases are very high. Mounting number of deaths. Red flags seen in the decision-making process. They should revise it or be accountable for lives of our people,” Leachon said.
On Sunday, Tiangco expressed his staunch opposition to the decision of the DOTr to reduce the physical distancing in public transportations from 1 meter to .75 meter.
“Two meters in open air and 0.75 in closed spaces does not make any sense when studies show that there is a higher risk of transmission in closed spaces,” he said in a statement issued a day before the implementation of the decision.
“We have been urging our constituents to practice social distancing even at home and in their workplace. Why would we allow them to forego this safety measure when taking public transportation?” he added.
Tiangco also agreed with Leachon when he said that the Department of Health should first evaluate the decision of the DOTr.