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Coronavirus: Singapore issues taxi health guidance

The coronavirus outbreak has prompted Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) to issue guidance safeguarding taxi and private hire car drivers and their passengers.
By Ben Spencer March 2, 2020 Read time: 1 min
Singapore is issuing masks to protect taxi drivers and their passengers (© Mwphoto55 | Dreamstime.com)

The LTA is advising drivers to wind down the windows of their vehicles when ferrying passengers with flu-like symptoms – and after every completed trip to improve ventilation. 

They are also urging drivers to take their own temperature twice a day and see a doctor if they are feeling unwell.

Taxi operators are now setting up temperature screening stations. Taxi drivers whose temperature falls within the acceptable range will receive a sticker for the day to indicate they have been checked. 

Private hire operators will require drivers to submit their temperature readings via a mobile app. The LTA, National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association will set up island-wide temperature taking stations.

The LTA is also recommending that passengers wear a mask before taking a taxi or private hire ride. Singapore’s government is making 300,000 surgical masks available for drivers to offer passengers who need to reach a medical appointment but do not have their own mask.

The outbreak of coronavirus has also led to the postponement of the 2020 Connected Auto & Smart Transport Expo which was due to go ahead in China this June - as well as the World Tunnel Congress in Malaysia.

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