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Control Covid in public transport

11 May 2021

There is no debate that irrespective of the social, cultural, and economic differences, the foremost duty that all citizens can and should fulfil at this juncture is adhering to Covid-19-related safety guidelines. One person’s negligence has the potential to place the lives of many in harm’s way, and what is at stake is our own lives. A leading private bus association recently claimed that they would launch a bus strike next week if bus conductors, drivers, and owners are not prioritised in the ongoing Covid-19 vaccination drive, as they are prone to contracting the virus due to the nature of their profession. Public transport services – be it buses or some other types of vehicles – are at risk of being in locations where people can spread or contract Covid-19, and in this context, private bus service providers’ demand appears to be reasonable. Also, if the said service providers were vaccinated, not only them but a much larger community (i.e. the public using public transport services to commute to work on a daily basis) would also indirectly benefit from it. In a bid to stop the spread of Covd-19, Sri Lanka has imposed a number of regulations that are expected to prevent the public from gathering, and guidelines were also issued for public transport services. However, whether these guidelines are being followed and whether these guidelines have been useful in actually minimising the risk of the spread of Covid-19 in the public transport sector are problematic. While some public transport service providers strictly adhered to these guidelines, it could be observed that many public transport services, especially buses and trains, did not follow the guidelines. One guideline that remains unchanged under the many guidelines issued by the health authorities from time to time is limiting the number of passengers using public transport, depending on the capacity of the vehicles. However, in a context where the working people have no option but to use public transport, the practicality of such measures and/or ensuring that such measures are actually adhered to should have received the attention of the authorities. Even though the authorities keep promoting the “work from home” concept, the nature of certain jobs is such that they cannot be done from home, and some workers do not have the necessary facilities or knowledge to do so from home. Their only option is to travel to work, which most of the time involves using public transport. Who is to blame for this? Right off the bat, one can hold the passengers and the public transport services responsible for such reckless behaviour. However, we cannot deny the fact that making a living is also an inseparable part of the public’s life, and be it the passengers or public transport service providers, they all struggle to go about their daily lives with the available resources, i.e. limited public transport services. The demand of public bus service providers is also a call for more attention to be paid to the country’s public transport services, which is an essential service that has to continue despite the worsening Covid-19 situation. Not only buses, in the past few weeks many photos of trains filled with people that violate Covid-19 safety guidelines were circulated on social media platforms, emphasising that regulations are not sufficient to stop the public from risking their lives for their livelihood. In most cases, the people’s hunger comes before a disease they have not contracted yet, and using the public transport services they can afford to use cannot be questioned. The rulers and the authorities have taken a number of admirable steps to mitigate the spread of Covid-19. However, the public transport issue is a good example that shows these steps need to be practical and at the same time effective, not merely attractive.


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