BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera office of the Land Transportation Office (LTO-CAR) recently crafted the guidelines for the health protocols to be observed in the regional and district offices once the same will be allowed to resume operations upon the start of the general community quarantine (GCQ).
LTO-CAR regional director Francis Ray Almora said the regional and district offices of the agency are simply awaiting the go-signal from its service provider for the resumption of regular operations under the new normal as there are areas in the region that had already been included as low risk areas under GCQ effective May 1, 2020.
Under the agency’s established health protocols, there shall be a one entry, one exit rule to be observed in the different offices; foot bath, thermal scanning, hand washing and sanitation areas; clients will be required to bring their own ball pens; disinfection after every transaction, and the no-touch policy will be enforced with document and payment trays provided, among others measures.
However, he pointed out that once the district offices will operate, the agency will conduct a dry-run on the actual number of clients that can be served daily so they can schedule how many can be serviced per day.
Almora stated the agency will also strictly implement the policies on physical distancing and the mandatory wearing of face masks for employees and the transacting public when transacting business for the registration of their motor vehicles or the issuance of driver’s licenses, among other services that could be availed by the public.
According to him, the initial weeks of the GCQ in some areas will serve as preparation for the different regional and district offices for their upcoming operations, while the services of the areas placed under ECQ will immediately resume after their status shall have been downgraded by the national inter-agency task force for the management of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Earlier, the LTO-CAR issued an advisory that extended the validity of the registration of motor vehicles whose renewal of registration have been affected by the suspension of the agency’s operations during the ECQ.
Under the prescribed guidelines, vehicles that were supposed to be registered last March and April will be given until June 30 to renew their registration, vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 5 could register in July; vehicles with plate numbers ending in 6 in August, vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 7 in September; vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 8 in October; vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 9 in October and vehicles with license plate numbers ending in 0 in December.
Almora claimed that the adjusted registration period is pursuant to the directives of the inter-agency task force and the agency will not be impose penalties, provided that owners of vehicles will strictly adhere to the adjusted schedules.
By HENT
