Taxi commuters face biggest risk

MOVE TO ALLOW FULL CAPACITY SLATED

Windows of vehicles not opened when it is cold, increasing spread of virus.

Poor communities where the Covid-19 pandemic was relatively under control could be the new hotspots in a few weeks, warns nursing union Denosa. This as a result of government’s decision to allow taxis to operate at full capacity rather than the previous 70% cap following pressure from the industry.

The South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) promised over the weekend to bare the burden of ensuring all taxis complied with safety protocols, including ensuring sufficient ventilation.

But in cold weather, taxi combis with a capacity of 15 passengers could be observed on Johannesburg roads with the windows fully closed. It was now up to Santaco members to break this norm and convince passengers that it was better to grin and bare the cold than to risk spreading the virus.

Denosa secretary general Cassim Lekhoathi said this was concerning, especially for healthcare workers who were exposed to patients and fellow commuters from their communities daily. He said allowing taxis to be filled to capacity was irresponsible.

“I have observed with concern that these taxi operators don’t even open the windows, because they say it is cold,” said Lekhoathi.

“It is for the same reason that it was good to not allow full capacity on the trains. These are the modes of transport that our communties are using. At first these communities were safe, but now we are going to see an explosion of new cases over the next few weeks in those poor areas.”

A recent report by the National Compensation Fund showed that women and, particularly nurses, were the most affected workers by Covid-19. Whether they were contracting the disease at work or in transit, their exposure to poorer communities made them potential carriers, said Lekhoathi.

This weekend Santaco described union federation Cosatu’s threat to go on strike over the full capacity of taxis was “unfortunate”. They said Cosatu members did not stand up for them when government enforced crippling restrictions on their operations. –

Picture: Tracy Lee Stark UNDER THREAT. After the government allowed taxis to operate at full capacity, many commuters from poor communities are at risk of contracting Covid-19 while in transit.