Using public transport during Covid-19
Some passengers are allowed to board a taxi with no masks on.
My daily commute from Kwa-Thema to Springs leaves me convinced I have Covid-19.
I have no symptoms, but every time I get off the taxi, I wonder if this is the trip where I was infected with this terrible virus.
President Cyril Ramaphosa moved the country to level four lockdown on June 27, with tighter restrictions due to an increasing number of infections.
On Sunday, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases reported the country had 16 585 new cases.
This third wave has seen the number of infections rising rapidly, with more people dying.
Also read:Â Toyota assists taxi industry in COVID-19 preparedness
Yet, when one is at the taxi rank or in a taxi, you would think life is normal.
• Taxis are not sanitised before passengers get on board.
• There is no social distancing in the queues for the taxis.
• Passengers are not checked for flu-like symptoms before they get on board.
• Their temperatures are not scanned.
• Nobody’s hands are sanitised before boarding and after paying.
• Nobody makes sure passengers are wearing their masks for the entire duration of the trip.
• No windows are open, except for the driver’s.
• Some take off their masks while in the taxi and no one tells them to put them back on.
• There are no forms to fill in for contact tracing.
Also read:Â How to keep your taxi on the road and your business ticking over
I see this both on my local trips around Kwa-Thema and Springs, and my long-distance trips to Pretoria and Johannesburg. I can’t help but wonder what will happen if we board a taxi with someone who has Covid-19.
That person will infect 13 people who will then go on to infect others at their places of work and at home. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Seeing all this, one has to wonder who is ultimately responsible.
Should passengers take more care with their safety or should the taxi association do more to enforce regulations set out by the government?
The Springs Taxi Association did not respond in time for publication.
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