SINGAPORE - A total of 300,000 surgical masks will be given out to taxi and private-hire car drivers, and temperature-taking stations will be set up for them to better protect them from the coronavirus, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (Feb 10).
The masks, which are in packs of four and come from the Government's stockpile, will be given out to them from Tuesday through their companies and operators.
LTA said in a statement: "These masks are intended for drivers to offer to passengers who are unwell but do not have a mask and need a ride to seek medical attention."
The authority also announced on Monday that taxi operators will be setting up eight temperature-screening stations across all taxi operators' premises from Tuesday.
Drivers can go to these stations to have their temperature taken and receive a sticker for the day to indicate that their temperature has been checked.
LTA added that private-hire car companies such as Grab and Gojek will require their drivers to take their own temperature and to submit their readings via their apps.
More temperature taking stations will be progressively added islandwide, said LTA.
In the past week, there have been three cases of taxi drivers and private-hire drivers who have been infected by the coronavirus. All had no recent travel history to China.
Case number 27, which was announced on Feb 5, is a 45-year-old Singaporean man who drives a private car.
He is the husband of an earlier case who works in health products shop Yong Thai Hang in Cavan Road.
Three days later on Feb 8, a 64-year-old local cab driver was announced to have been infected.
He was the 35th case made known here, and was said to have largely stayed at home after the onset of his symptoms.
The Ministry of Health also announced on the same day that another local private-hire driver had become infected.
Case number 37, who lives in Jurong East, is a 53-year-old man who visited two GP clinics after reporting his symptoms.
In an advisory on Sunday sent on its WhatsApp channel, the Government said it is safe to take taxis or private-hire cars.
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But cabbies and private-hire drivers whom The Straits Times had spoken to earlier had reported drops in their earnings, with less demand for their services.
Mr Ang Hin Kee, adviser to both the National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association, previously said cabbies have reported a drop in earnings of more than 25 per cent in the past one week alone, while private-hire drivers have seen a drop of over 30 per cent.
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Also from Sunday, ride-hailing operator Grab suspended its GrabShare service here amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.
"Due to the latest developments, GrabShare services will be temporarily unavailable from Feb 9, 1am until further notice," the company said in a notice to app users on Saturday, adding that it was working with the authorities to "monitor the situation".
On Sunday, the Government announced three more cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of people who have been infected here to 43.
Six are now in critical condition and in the intensive care unit, up from four previously, said MOH in its latest update.
Meanwhile, four have been discharged, making up a total of six who have recovered.
For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.
This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.