Starting July 6, the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will operate at reduced capacity after 127 of its employees tested positive for Covid-19.
Transport Undersecretary Timothy Batan in a virtual briefing Thursday said that 36 new cases were recorded the past two days among workers deployed at the EDSA-North Avenue Terminal Depot, bringing the total to 127 from 91.
All 127 Covid-positive workers were from the MRT-3 depot, he said.
Of the total, only three were employees of MRT-3. The rest, 124, were employees of MRT-3 maintenance service provider Sumitomo-Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In a statement, the Department of Transport and MRT-3 clarified that all of its 1,700 station personnel remained Covid-free.
“All MRT-3 employees are likewise obliged to submit their health declaration twice a day to ensure that they are fit to work. Physical distancing and alternative work arrangement are also being observed,” the statement read.
The MRT-3 management also required its depot and mainline personnel, including security guards, ticket sellers and janitors, to wear personal protective equipment to prevent the further spread of the virus. John Ezekiel J. Hirro