The Motor Vehicles Department and the district administration have together mooted a transparent screen behind the driver seat of taxi cars, especially those that ferry people from the airport post-lockdown, as part of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This was done as per WHO norms, for which doctors of National Health Mission readied a design, said G. Anantakrishnan, Enforcement RTO of Ernakulam. The estimated cost of the screen that would partition the front and rear of the car is ₹2,500 a piece. An awareness video of a taxi car retrofitted with such a screen is doing the rounds online.

“There is no need to drill holes within the car and the screen can be bolted in available space of each car. The primary aim is to ensure health and well-being of drivers and their families. Moreover, drivers have been instructed not to use air-conditioning and not to seat anyone on the front seat and not to handle luggage. This is apart from regular safety norms like ensuring mask for all riders and use of sanitiser, including to clean door knobs and other areas that are prone to get contaminated by viruses,” he said.

Service begins

In the meantime, drivers who had enlisted with online taxi aggregator firms began operating in the city from Monday, since Ernakulam is in the green zone. “We have not been formally informed of the need to have the screen in cars. It is up to individual drivers to install them, as a confidence boosting measure. Instructions have been given not to switch on AC,” said an official of one such firm.

Most passengers are well aware of safety norms, said Augustine Pramod, whose car is enlisted with a travel agency. “Caution would have to be stepped up when NRIs return to Kerala in substantial numbers,” he said.