No helmet, no mask: Some motorists defy safety protocol on Day 1 of back-riding return

MANILA - Some motorists violated Friday safety protocols on back-riding after government allowed back-riding on motorcycles for couples.

• Gov't allows back-riding for couples

An ABS-CBN TeleRadyo report said some motorists failed to wear masks, helmets or face shields while back-riding on motorcycles.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said the national government will allow motorcycle back-riding for couples starting July 10.

He said the government's national task force against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) approved the recommendation of Bohol Governor Arthur Yap that couples should be allowed to share a motorcycle. Under Yap's proposal, a protective shield will be mounted in between the rider and the passenger to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

“Living in the same household, whether they are married, or they are common-law husband and wife or boyfriend and girlfriend but they are living in the same household,” Año said.

During random checks, couples may show their IDs as proof that they bear the same surname or address. He said there are so many ways to prove that couples live in the same household.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, however, said that backriding will only be allowed for married couples.

ABS-CBN TeleRadyo, July 10, 2020