As the world continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, taxi operators in Dominica are being advised to change the way they operate in order to protect themselves, clients, friends and families.
This advice came from COVID certified taxi operator, Ken George Dill, who was speaking at a Ministry of Health press briefing held on Tuesday evening.
“We have to drastically and radically change our operational methods to protect ourselves, our friends, our clients and the people we associate with,” he said.
He told his colleagues that it is important and crucial to be trained and to become COVID-19 certified.
“I recently witnessed a bus going into the airport to drop off passengers, but because the bus wasn’t COVID-19 certified, it was not allowed to enter the airport,” Dill explained. “It was quite embarrassing that the passengers had to walk since the bus was not allowed to drive in.”
He further advised operators who are providing transportation to the airport, to seek information on how they can do the training.
“Do the training so that you can become COVID-19 certified,” Dill stated.
Dill said that due to Covid-19, he does foresee things getting back to normalcy as we know it.
“I do not believe in the history of tourism in Dominica we have ever experienced anything comparable to Covid-19,” he stated. “We are confronted with an invisible enemy and we need to protect ourselves as best as we can from it. I do not believe the future will be normal as we used to know it. I don’t foresee what we used to know as normal very soon.”
Dill highlighted the importance of wearing masks.
“Sometimes when you pick up people, they have been travelling for many hours coming from a long way, from Dominica and they are tired, so when they come to the vehicle they may suggest to you can they take the mask off. No. We must be firm; we must insist that they keep the mask on,” he insisted.
He continued, “We also have some people who when they come to the vehicle they have the tendency to slip the mask below their nose. That is not good.
Dill pointed out that in carrying out those procedures and guidelines, “we are not just protecting ourselves, we are protecting our families, because we are exposed to something that we don’t fully understand and if we become infected we are taking this home to our families, friends, the people we associate with.”
He also stressed the importance of maintaining social distancing.
“Sometimes we are picking up people whom we know for a long time and we haven’t seen them for a longtime, in their enthusiasm they might want to give you a hug. We have to refrain from that,” Dill insisted. “We have to be polite, but we have to be firm.”
In order to decrease the spread of the virus, the following measures are utilized by NYC bus and taxi agencies.
A plastic barrier (curtain) separates drivers from passengers.
Drivers wear mask
Passengers wear mask
Due to the contagious nature of the virus, bus drivers and taxi drivers in NYC utilize the following measures in order to reduce the spread.
A plastic divider separates the driver’s seat from that of passengers.
All passengers wear mask.
All drivers wear mask..
Sir you should find out why only some taxi operators were called to do the covid certification program and others were not and while you are at it find out also why are vehicles with H on their number plates are not allowed to enter the airport compound to drop off passengers while all others are allowed to enter to drop off passengers I do have first hand knowledge of this situation that’s why I am asking. It would seem that the vehicles with H are the ones that stand a good chance of carrying infected people and not private vehicles.
But who coming to dominica now with there stupid covid rules negative you have to go in quarantine and spend money send people that a negative to there home to quarantine for 3 to 5 days and if you see them on street before the time is up then throw there a×× in government quarantine and charge them
Is this for real?.Three months in to the lockdown and this advice is now being given to taxi drivers.?…..
This is very good information strange that there are not any comment on this I guest it is not political enough. But this is
a very good statement.