Use of Contact Tracing App Now Required for PUVs

StaySafe.ph, the contact tracing mobile app of the government, is now required to be used in public utility vehicles (PUVs) to further help in the country’s contact tracing efforts, according to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

LTFRB said in a Facebook post Thursday that operators and drivers of PUVs are will be required to register with StaySafe.ph and generate their own QR code. QR codes created will then be placed at the entrances and inside their PUVs.

All passengers will then be required to use the QR codes for contact tracing.

The transition from manually filling in details in contact tracing forms to the use of StaySafe.ph is mandated via LTFRB’s Memorandum Circular No. 2021-041, and is pursuant to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infections Disease’s (IATF-EID) Resolution No. 87 series of 2020.

Failure to comply with the new mandate will be considered a violation of health protocols issued by IATF, with penalties awaiting caught operators and drivers not following the mandate.

Penalties include fines and for the possible revocation of the operator or driver’s Certificate of Public Compliance or Provisional Authority. (GFB)