Philippines' Duterte keeps one metre social distancing rule

MANILA, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Philippines President Rodrigo
Duterte has decided to retain the 1 metre (three feet) social
distance requirement on public transport to reduce coronavirus
infecions, rejecting moves to reduce it to 30 centimetres (12
inches), his spokesman said on Saturday.
Health experts have warned that reducing gaps between
passengers in trains, buses and jeepneys could result in a surge
of infections in the Philippines, which has the most confirmed
COVID-19 cases in Southeast Asia.
Duterte studied recommendations and decided to retain the 1
metre distancing requirement, including a ban on eating and
speaking in public transport, presidential spokesman Harry Roque
told state-run PTV4 network. Passengers still need to wear face
shield and mask at all times, he added.
The transport ministry, which cut the distance to 75cm on
Monday, 50cm on Sept. 28 and 30cm on Oct. 12 to accommodate more
passengers returning to work as the economy gradually reopens,
said it will comply with the president's decision.
"We shall aggressively comply and strictly enforce the
1-metre physical distancing in all public transport as
envisioned and mandated," the transport ministry said in a
statement on Saturday.
The World Health Organization recommends at least 1 metre of
distancing to avoid the spread of the virus.
Manila's transport systems are notoriously crowded, with
commutes typically involving long queues and several changes.
Experts and medical professionals have described as
dangerous and premature a reduction in distancing requirement,
warning it could prolong a first wave of infections that the
Philippines has been battling since March.
The Philippines has nearly 280,000 infections, more than a
third of which were reported in the past 30 days, and 4,830
deaths, the second most in Southeast Asia, next only to
Indonesia.