SPTC undertakes measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19   |20 May 2021

Since March 2020, the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation (SPTC) has put in place various measures to ensure the safety and security of its staff and commuters.

All procedures and protocols issued by the Public Health Authority, with regard to vigilance, hygiene and social distancing are being implemented.

A designated internal committee has been formed to coordinate and manage the situation.

A medical team has been assigned to ensure detection and vigilance protocols are being followed alongside the company’s occupational health and safety team establishing good hygiene practices.

A communication team has been working on a public sensitisation campaign since March 2020 to ensure that the public understand and are aware of the various measures that SPTC and the Public Health Authority have put in place in relation to the public transportation service.

SPTC has a sanitisation programme that involves the daily sanitisation of all public areas of all terminals and all buses. This has been further intensified since January 2021 following the confirmation of community transmission in the country. All public areas and terminals have been demarcated to facilitate physical distancing. Furthermore, additional hand washing facilities have been made available to promote hygiene.

There has been no interruption to SPTC bus service throughout the pandemic, service has only been adjusted in line with the Public Health Authority advisories. A business continuity plan has been put in place, focusing on bus operation and workshop staff ensuring that key personnel in SPTC are well segregated to avoid clusters and thus far proven efficient.

Commuters have been urged to use a Travel Card instead of cash, so as to limit exchange of cash transactions and facilitate contact tracing should the need arise. All Travel Cards are registered in a database detailing full contact information.

Only 12 drivers have tested positive to date which represents only 2% of SPTC’s total workforce. 77% of SPTC staff have been vaccinated with their first doses and 64% with their second doses.

Contributed by SPTC