Khotang, Sept 17: The District Administration Office in Khotang has requested public vehicle operators to run theirvehicles with one passenger in a row. The decision passed by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday has allowed the vehicles to resume public vehicle service that had been halted to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in order to prevent and control the transmission of the virus, the DAO has requested the vehicle operators to resume the service with less than 50 percent of the seat capacity.
According to Shaligram Sharma, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Khotang, the decision was taken in order to mitigate the fears of the spread of the virus.
‘Odd-even rule for vehicles enforced to discourage crowds’
A statement issued by Assistant CDO Shyam Kumar Rai on Thursday called for strict obedience to public health and safety standards in public transportation. The vehicle should be equipped with sanitizers and the passengers and vehicle operators should strictly wear face masks. In addition to that, the operators should also put on Personal Protective Gears. The seats in the vehicles must be disinfected on a regular basis. Moreover, the statement says that the vehicle operators can charge the passengers up to 50 percent more than the previous fares.
Furthermore, according to the statement, traffic police will monitor the operation of public transport and passenger management and its compliance with health and safety standards. Anyone found breaching the standards will face punishment.
