Pasig City has been taking the most apt and necessary precautions to fight COVID-19. Led by Mayor Vico Sotto, the city’s local government has been providing frontliners with the means needed to carry on with their livelihoods, especially to government officials and healthcare personnel.

Included in these efforts is the repurposing of the Pasig Bike Share, wherein they will be offering their bikes for free for government officials and healthcare personnel to be able to use in getting to work. They will also be accepting donations of new and old bikes.

In line with the wider spread of COVID-19, Duterte implemented an “enhanced community quarantine” announced during a press conference last Mar. 16. This means that along with a strict home quarantine, there is also a suspension of public transportation. Those who will be caught on the streets will have to face law enforcement.

However, employees in the skeletal workforce including government personnel and healthcare practitioners could not find a ride to and from work due to the enhanced community quarantine. Filipinos who have to work daily for a living also continued to do their jobs in order to earn their daily wage. Some had to walk for hours to get to their workplace or homes.

Other than this, Pasig Mayor Vico Sotto has allowed tricycle operations within the area given that they observe passenger limit and social distancing. The Pasig Bus Service also remains operational. It will only take a limited number of passengers to observe social distancing.

An update as of Mar. 18 shows that Pasig City has also set up sanitation tents at its city hall and at two city-run hospitals specifically the Pasig City General Hospital and Pasig City Children’s Hospital.

Ito yung mga Sanitation Tent papasok ng CityHall, PCGH, at Child's Hope.

Ginagawa namin ang lahat ng makakaya para di magkulang ang supplies gaya ng mask.

May pribadong kompanya naman na magpapahiram ng mga kwarto para may pansamantalang matutuluyan ang mga exposed frontliners. pic.twitter.com/a8cjq0HQfB

— Vico Sotto (@VicoSotto) March 18, 2020

As of writing, COVID-19 has infected more than 187 Filipinos according to the Department of Health. It is more vital now to give healthcare practitioners and government officials the right and needed services for them to further help in treating these patients and hampering the virus from spreading.

Header photo courtesy of Pasig Bike Share

Get more stories like this by subscribing to our weekly newsletter here.

COVID-19 and transpo: Trike ops resume in Pasig, QC and OVP offer free rides to health workers

Face masks needed: call for protective equipment donations from hospitals and organizations