(Eagle News)–The Metro Rail Transit-3 on Thursday, July 2, said it will operate at further reduced capacity starting next week after an additional 67 Sumitomo depot personnel tested positive for COVID-19.
In a statement, the MRT-3 said the additional 67 cases bring the total number of COVID-19 cases to 92, with 89 personnel from Sumitomo, the MRT-3 maintenance provider.
Last Monday, 25 personnel tested positive for the virus, prompting the testing of all MRT-3 and Sumitomo personnel based on the guidance of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases.
The cases have been isolated and quarantined.
“MRT-3 management has assured that all its stations personnel remain COVID-19 free,” the MRT-3 said.
According to the MRT-3, the request for reduced operations was made by Sumitomo.
Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Railways Timothy John Batan said that reduced operations start on Monday, 6 July, with the extent of operating level reduction (i.e., number of reduced trains) to be advised by Sumitomo over the weekend.
“While we try to do our best to keep the same maintenance performance through this week, we would like to discuss with DOTr MRT3 office day by day, how much maintenance level we would be able to keep, in view of the number of COVID-19 infected people,” Masanori Honda of Sumitomo said.
Based on guidance from the IATF-EID, additional measures and precautions will be taken during MRT-3’s reduced operations, including the requirement for full PPEs for stations and depot personnel, the limiting of movement of depot personnel to their immediate areas of responsibility, increased disinfection activities, and heightened monitoring and screening of symptoms among all personnel.
MRT-3 reached its highest GCQ ridership to date on Monday, June 29, with its 67,821 passengers.
The trains are so far operating at a reduced capacity of 13% (153 passengers per train, down from 1,182 pre-ECQ).
The MRT-3’s Bus Augmentation Program also reached its highest ridership on the same day, with 8,835 passengers.
“To augment MRT-3’s further reduced capacity due to the quarantine of some of its depot personnel, DOTr will be boosting its Bus Augmentation Program and EDSA Busway service, in coordination with the DOTr Road Sector, LTFRB, and MMDA,” the MRT-3 said.
