BAGUIO CITY – The Land Transportation office (LTO) recently issued the guidelines that should be strictly followed during the resumption of the agency’s operations in the different parts of the country to spare the personnel and the clients from the spread of the dreaded Coronavirus Disease (COVID) 2019.
Under Memorandum Circular No. 2020-2183 issued on May 9, 2020, upon entry at the LTO premises, a daily health symptoms Form 1 shall be accomplished by every personnel; wearing of face masks will be mandatory, except when eating and drinking; observance of social distancing by maintaining, at all times, a 1-meter distance from clients or from fellow employees, including during lunch time and at the Bundy clock will be enjoined; wearing of gloves will be mandatory for all frontliners such as evaluators, cashiers and receiving personnel, including law enforcers, when handling documents, licenses or cash and employees will be encouraged to use additional protective accessories.
On the other hand, LTO clients should fill out the client or visitor health checklist 2 at the entrance of the offices; clients should undergo thermal scanning and hand and foot dis-infection at the entrance of LTO premises; the no face mask, no entry policy will be strictly implemented; clients will be mandated to observe physical distancing at all times; companions of clients will not be allowed entry to LTO offices to minimize the volume of persons inside the premises; and persons below 21 years old, those who are 60 years old and above and pregnant women will be denied entry to the LTO premises.
The LTO mandated security guards or personnel assigned in the different offices entrance to ensure that physical distancing will be properly observed at al times.
Further, heads of offices were required to devise the work schedule of the personnel pursuant to the guidelines issued by the LTO and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) so that personnel whose functions may be performed at home shall not report to office unless absolutely necessary.
The LTO also mandated its information technology providers to develop an online appointment system or web-based transitions to avoid the congestion of clients in the different offices.
The LTO stated that the validity of renewal of registration of motor vehicles which expired on March 1, 2020 until the date of work resumption shall be automatically extended for 60 days from the same and to avoid congestion at the offices and to ensure orderly processing of transactions, priority shall be given to the priorities in the released schedule.
Moreover, driver’s license, accreditation and other permits issued by the LTO that expired on March 16, 2020 up to the date of work resumption shall be automatically extended for 60 days upon resumption of work.
The LTO asserted that no advance renewal of all transactions shall be processed by the agency during the transition period upon work resumption.
The LTO stipulated that a recognition of the heroism of all fonrtliners shall be given and that they shall be given the same priority extended to senior citizens, persons with disabilities and pregnant women for the remainder of the year.
By Hent