Take personal responsibility to curb COVID-19 spread, says Lagos commissioner

As the gradual ease of Covid-19 lock down reached day three in Lagos, the state government has appealed to residents to abide by the safety guidelines provided to curb further spread of Covid-19 virus in the State.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde gave the advice while featuring on a Lagos Television programme ‘Lagos Today’.

He disclosed that the State government has deployed transportation safety guidelines which the residents and operators of public transport must abide by, if we must end the coronavirus pandemic in due time.

Oladeinde stated that the public transport operators should adhere to the directive of 60 per cent loading capacity, while adding that Monitoring Teams have been deployed to parks, garages, bus terminals, jetties and other public places in the State to ensure total compliance with the new Public transportation guidelines for safety of everyone which is of utmost importance to the State Government at this crucial period.

The Commissioner further disclosed that men of the Nigerian Police Force assisted by Officers of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority ( LASTMA ) and Vehicle Inspection Service( VIS) will be coordinating the enforcement to ensure compliance

He added that the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) will monitor compliance at the state borders while the Lagos State Neighborhood Corps (LNSC) will be stationed at garages to ensure passengers adhere strictly to these rules of social distancing.

The Commissioner reiterated that the Yellow Commercial Buses popularly called ‘Danfo’ are not permitted to convey more than 8 people including the driver and conductor of the vehicle, LBSL and Primero operators have also been mandate to convey only 21 passengers instead of 70, while tricycles are permitted to carry only 2 passengers at the rear seats in line with the 60% loading capacity at this period.

He explained that the use of Okada for commercial operations is suspended for now because it is difficult to maintain the social distancing rule on them. Oladeinde also reiterated that the use of nose covers, sanitizers and regular hand wash at parks and garages by Drivers and Commuters is compulsory and of utmost importance.

“The BRT and Lagos Bus Service Limited have created a seating arrangement that favors social distancing rule while the BRT monitoring teams have been deployed by LAMATA to ensure compliance with the new regulations along BRT corridors, ” in the same vein, the Marine Monitoring teams are working with LASWA to ensure compliance on our waterways.” Oladeinde stated.

The Commissioner further disclosed that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) are in agreement with the Safety guidelines enacted for the Transport Sector, and have created a Task force team to monitor and ensure compliance by their members to further complement the efforts of the State Government in preventing the spread of the Corona Virus.

“Before the State Government issued out the new public transport guidelines, all Stakeholders in the sector were all engaged and everyone saw the need for those regulations in the interest of public safety”, he stated.

Oladeinde lauded various stakeholders in the sector who have pledged their support to the State in its battle to prevent further spread of the Covid-19 Virus and pledged that the state has positioned itself through its enforcement team to ensure safety of the residents as they comply with the laid down transport guidelines while on transit’

He urged all stakeholders in the transport sector including the citizenry to adhere strictly to the guidelines and cooperate with the task teams that have been stationed at strategic points in the state so that the Pandemic will be phased out.