The commotion surrounding the issue of pillion-rider protective shields doesn’t look like it’ll die down anytime soon, as groups and individuals objecting against the policy continue to come forward.
Just a few days back, even the Motorcycle Development Program Participants Association raised its issues with the government’s new policy, stating that the prototype’s design brought about certain safety concerns.
Well, we have some good news for the organization as well as for those of you who share these sentiments: the Joint Task Force (JTF) COVID Shield has once again extended the deadline for the installation of these protective barriers to July 31, 2020.
The new five-day extension was announced by JTF COVID Shield commander Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar. The decision was made in light of riders’ “mounting requests” for more time to comply with the new policy since many do not know where to acquire the approved barrier design.
“In effect, motorcycle riders were given three weeks grace period to comply with this requirement. This will be the most that the government, through our NTF (National Task Force) against COVID-19, could give for our motorcycle riders to comply in order for them to be allowed to back-ride their spouses or live-in partners,” Eleazar said in his statement.
Eleazar added that authorities have advised motorcycle dealers nationwide on where to secure the government-approved barriers. He also mentioned that the Department of Trade and Industry will make sure that the sale of substandard barriers will be prevented.
Since the talks about these new protective shields surfaced, various entities have started developing their own designs that were compliant with the government’s guidelines. There’s this from Shark Philippines, and there’s also the Inter-Agency Task Force-approved design from motorcycle-taxi company Angkas.
Thoughts, riders? What’s your take on all this? Let us know what you think in the comments.
For more of our stories on the ongoing crisis, click here. For the latest news and updates on COVID-19, check out reportr.world/covid-19.
