MRT-3 operations are suspended starting July 7 following the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country, the Department of Transportation said on July 6.
Included in those cases are train staff and workers. According to the DOTr Facebook post, operations could be halted until July 11 in order to swab test around 1,800 rail system workers. In the meantime, the system’s trains will be disinfected.
The temporary suspension could be shortened or extended, depending on how fast the swab test results come out.
To help ferry passengers even as operations are paused, the DOTr would supply 90 bus units as part of the bus augmentation program. This is to add to the 150 buses in the EDSA Busway service.
The number of operational MRT trains was reduced on July 6, as 186 train staff tested positive for COVID-19.
According to DOTr Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, only 2 showed symptoms while the rest were asymptomatic, or showed no signs of sickness.
Of the 186, 169 are depot workers, 17 are station personnel, 3 are train drivers, 2 are from the operations control center, and 1 nurse.