A smaller percentage of railway passengers in the National Capital Region (NCR) who took part in the free random antigen testing found positive for Covid-19 compared to last week.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said it conducted 258 antigen tests on Tuesday in the Light Rail Transit Line 2 (LRT-2), the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3), and the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

In the LRT-2, there were 75 passengers tested with two found positive; 96 tested at the MRT-3 with one positive; and 87 tests at PNR with two positive for the virus.

“In total, all operating rail lines have conducted 258 tests on passengers, wherein 253 tested negative, and 5 tested positive—a combined positivity rate of 2 percent,” the DOTr said.

This is lower compared to the 10 percent positive rate recorded on Jan. 13 when 23 of the 228 passengers tested positive for the Covid-19.

Those who tested positive were not permitted to ride trains, were asked to return home, isolate, and report to their respective Barangay Health Emergency Response Team.

On Monday, the DOTr began the “no vaccination, no ride” policy in public transportation in NCR to help protect the unvaccinated from coronavirus infection.

Earlier, DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade ordered the free random antigen testing of volunteering passengers at NCR railways to help curb the spread of Covid-19 in public transportation amid the surge in coronavirus cases. (PNA)