Coronavirus: Switch Off Airconditioners In Buses, LASG Orders; Reads Riot Act To Commuters, NURTW

By Akinwale Kasali

Hours after announcing that Civil Servants from Grade level 1 to Grade 12 should stay at home for the next two weeks until further directives from the State Government, the LASG has read another riot act to the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, led by Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, to follow some stipulated guidelines in curtailing the spread of the pandemic.

The Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State, Dr. Fredrick Oladehinde, has stated public transport preventive measures guidelines to curb further spread of corona virus in buses, cabs, motor parks and garages.

Oladehinde said that, “As part of the efforts by the Lagos State Government to further prevent a State- wide spread of COVID-19 especially in motor parks, garages and other public transportation related environment, the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation is hereby notifying the general public through this statement that the following guidelines are henceforth compulsory for all stakeholders in public Transportation in the State to comply with:

1. All Transport Operators/Companies are expected to sanitize their parks and garages regularly and continuously (at least before and after each trip)
2. All Transport Operators/Companies are expected to have at the entrance to their respective parks/garages, washing hand equipment with soap and running water.
3. All Operators are expected to have alcohol based sanitizers in their Vehicles for the use of Drivers, Conductors and Passengers
4. All Operators are not allowed to over crowd/over load their vehicles at this point in time, Passenger’s spacing must be fully observed. NCDC recommends that at least 2m (5feet) distance is required between anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.
5. No standing in all BRT and LBSL bus operations
6. All buses should be at 60% capacity and not 100% (i.e Danfo and other commercial buses)
7. All Air Conditioning System in public transport be put off
8. All public transport Operators/Company must have temperature reader to test each passenger before boarding the bus
9. All drivers and conductors should always wear hand gloves and nose guides while in transit
10. All passengers are also required to sanitize themselves before and after each trip
11. Passengers are also required to regularly wash their hands with soap and running water before and after each trip
12. Operators/Companies and passengers are expected to report any suspected case of COVID-19 to the Ministry of Transportation or call 08000CORONA
13. Passenger are also expected to report any Operator/Company that does not comply with these guidelines to the Monitoring Officer at sight or write to the Ministry, stating the Vehicle Registration Number, Park and Time.

With this directives well disseminated to you our transport Stakeholders and the men of the realms of fourth estate, we are confident that together we can put off this ranging fire of COVID-19″.

He stressed further that if these instructions are adhered to holistically, together we can stop further spread of the virus in Lagos State and Nigeria.