The recent directive that public transport vehicles can now operate on a full passenger capacity is by all means ill-advised and bad-timed.
It ironically comes at a time when new cases of Covid-19 infections are soaring in the country. As of last Sunday, the positivity rate stood at 12.3 per cent, with 800 new cases out of a sample size of 6,530.
Although a good number of industry players in the public transport sector have been flouting the earlier directive on half passenger capacity under the nose of law enforcers anyway, reversing the same directive officially might make matters worse.
It is likely to open the floodgates of new infections in the country. For starters, we are talking of an industry where a significant number of the players have a history of incredibly low compliance levels, even with other regulations that govern the sector.
It is indisputable that indeed the turnovers of the public transport sector as well as many other industries of the economy plummeted following the introduction of the various Covid-19 containment measures.
However, the cost of treating Covid-19 and the unfortunate eventuality of losing lives substantially outweigh any financial gains. Perhaps this is something those arguing that normal passenger capacity will translate to less fare charges need to consider.
In the event the government stands its ground on this directive, other players whose operating capacity was also capped like places of worship and the hospitality industry might also demand the same treatment in the spirit of equity and fairness.
It is, therefore, imperative that the government reconsiders this directive to avert a potential avalanche of infections in the country. If anything, the long arm of the law should be on the ground enforcing the earlier directive.
Kimani Wairimu, Nairobi
