Despite claims by by Transport Minister Fikile Mbablula that unnamed "health experts" backed the government’s decision to allow taxi operators’ full loads, the Colleges of Medicine of SA has urged the government to reconsider.
Business Day reports South Africa’s key agency for training and accrediting public health specialists, the College of Public Health Medicine (CPHM), under the CMSA, says the change will substantially increase the risk of transmission of COVID-19 and called on the government to review the plans outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his address on 12 July, which permit taxis to carry a full load of passengers for short trips.
At the time he said drivers, conductors and passengers would have to wear masks, and that windows would have to be kept open to ensure proper ventilation, but did not provide specifics. The report says an unregulated taxi industry transports an estimated 16.5m passengers a day. Many operators have openly flouted the regulations previously introduced under lockdown level 3, which banned inter-provincial travel and required vehicles to only carry 70% of their capacity.
The CPHM’s guidance on reducing COVID-19 transmission in public transport, published in March, says vehicles should operate at no more than 50% of their carrying capacity and that windows on both sides of the vehicle should be open. “The use of masks will help reduce transmission, but it is not enough; you have to have physical distancing and ventilation,” said CPHM president Leslie London. Traffic congestion meant most commuters spent long periods of time on public transport even when travelling short distances, increasing the risk of transmission, he said.
The report says the World Health Organisation considers anyone who has spent more than 15 minutes within 1m of a person infected with COVID-19 to be at risk.
The proposed changes to regulations for taxi operators were worrying because they may “substantially increase the risk of transmission of COVID-19, the CMSA is quoted in Daily Maverick as saying. Taxi operators will now be allowed to operate at 100% capacity for short distances – up from an initial 70% – provided that drivers allow for ventilation by opening windows and ensure that passengers wear masks.
The CMSA said that ventilation of taxis and reduced capacity were not optional. They needed to be implemented in combination “as both measures are necessary to reduce transmission”. “We therefore call on the president and the Cabinet to review this decision and to engage again with taxi operators to develop feasible study strategies to reduce passenger laws which protect the health of commuters and taxi drivers,” said the CMSA.
The COVID-19 task team responsible for training and accrediting public health medicine specialists in South Africa, had published guidance on measures to reduce transmission way back on 22 March, said the statement. The guidance included the need to: Ventilate – regulations should ensure windows on both sides of the vehicle are open to allow air to ventilate through; AND Regulate for no more than 50% of carrying capacity.
Daily Maverick says allowing taxis to load at 100% capacity has caused an uproar among many commuters who feel that taxis are now being turned into death traps, especially considering that some operators fail to wear masks and do not enforce the wearing of masks among their passengers.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has defended the government's decision to allow minibus taxis to carry their full capacity, saying it was made on recommendations from health experts. But, according to Business Day, he did not name the health experts the government consulted.
Mbalalua has warned that “the taxi industry will perish if we continue with 70%”. Government had noted the “need” to increase loading capacity within the public transport sector, and the need to further tighten mitigation measures linked to the capacity increase. “Consultations with health experts was undertaken and their additional recommendations in the face of the increased loading capacity were duly considered and accepted,” said Mbalula.
However, the threat of industrial action hangs over the decision, with Cosatu spokesperson Sizwe Pamla saying it will file an application at Nedlac that could lead to a strike over the 100% loading capacity issue. According to Business Day, Pamla said this “capitulation” by the government on taxis was happening when more workers are getting infected by COVID-19. Cosatu was engaging with the hope of finding a resolution but “we reserve the right to mobilise for a protest action if we are not happy with the outcomes of negotiations”.
[link url="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/health/2020-07-15-new-taxi-rules-will-increase-spread-of-covid-19-experts-say/"]Full Business Day report[/link]
[link url="https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-07-15-review-100-taxi-capacity-public-health-specialists-plead-with-ramaphosa/?tl_inbound=1&tl_groups%5B0%5D=80895&tl_period_type=3&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Business%20Maverick%20Thursday%2016%20July%202020%20-%20MTN&utm_content=Business%20Maverick%20Thursday%2016%20July%202020%20-%20MTN+CID_c0d1480fade034b75e5c23df45bfa574&utm_source=TouchBasePro&utm_term=Review%20100%20taxi%20capacity%20%20public%20health%20specialists%20plead%20with%20Ramaphosa#gsc.tab=0"]Full Daily Maverick report[/link]
[link url="https://www.cmsa.co.za/"]Guidance[/link]
[link url="https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2020-07-16-mbalula-says-health-experts-were-consulted-on-the-100-taxi-loading-capacity/"]Full Business Day report[/link]
See also
[link url="https://www.medicalbrief.co.za/archives/sama-warns-that-taxi-commuters-at-covid-risk/"]SAMA warns that taxi commuters at COVID risk[/link]