NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHORNICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
The unabated loading of passengers in public buses, jeepneys, van-for-hire and even tricycles is perceived to be the culprit of the rapid surge of positive COVID cases in the province.
A lot of concerned citizens in the municipalities and towns expressed apprehension in social media that the regular loading of passengers of the carrier’s capacity could be the cause of the increase of positive cases up to 1,138 as of June 17, 2021.
The active cases are placed at 20.5% rate; Recovery,(now 4,318 since March 2020), 78.3%; and deaths (now at 68), 1.2%
Top 12 f active cases in Bohol with Tagbilaran City topped them all at 253.
Others towns having double digit cases are Candijay, 59 cases; Dauis, 54; S-Bullones, 49; Calape, 46; Alicia, 41; Valencia, 38; Cortes, 37; Catigbian, 35; Tubigon, 30; Sagbayan, 29; and Abtequera, 28.
The unregulated loading of passengers in public transport that is supposedly only 50% of its regular capacity is allowed remains rampant in the bus terminals in the municipalities.
Most of the public transportation plying their routes as observed by BNT have only plastic dividers between passengers that indicate that no physical distancing is complied with the regulation as far as the number of passengers is allowed to ride.
Many netizens also put the blame on the government’s sponsored public gatherings which may not be essential and the failure of the general public to follow the minimum health standards in the proper wearing of face mask and shields and keep physical (social) distancing always when in a crowd.
The big question is that do the authorities concerned make rounds of checking this scenario.
The Office of the Governor thru provincial administrator Atty. Kathyrin Pioquinto vowed to remind the law enforcers, the police particularly, in the towns to look into the unabated passengers’ loading in the public conveyance.
She told this during the press conference held at the Panglao International Airport after the 10,000 doses of vaccines arrived on Wednesday (June 16, 2021). (rvo)