By John Clifford Lintao
WITH the motorcycle barriers taking a back seat, the government now requires both the motorcycle rider and his passenger to wear a full face helmet in areas under general community quarantine (GCQ), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said.
However, MMDA general manager Jojo Garcia promptly warded off future blame on their agency for such another sudden imposition saying it was the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield which issued the order.
“Pagdating naman sa helmet, may tinatawag silang full face-visor. ‘Yung plastic na visor na hanggang baba siya. Siguro ito ‘yung substitute,”Garcia said.
He explained that wearing a face shield while driving a motorcycle can be dangerous considering that the protective gear can be drifted by the wind.
“Kailangan na kailangan na naka-face mask tayo at naka-face shield pa. So kung plastic na face shield ang gagamitin sa motor, medyo delikado po ‘yan. Liliparin ‘yan unlike noong full-face visor,” he said.
In a Facebook post Sunday, the MMDA said the new measure is included to the guidelines of the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 for motorcycle back-riding under GCQ.
“Kailangan abot hanggang baba ang visor o shield ng helmet. Dapat isuot ito kasama ng mask sa buong biyahe,” the MMDA said.