Passengers of the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT-3) will now be able to make use of “automatic” and “touchless” temperature scanners installed in all stations as part of the rail service’s measures against the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the MRT-3 said a total of 15 stand-alone temperature scanners have been installed in designated areas in all 13 of its stations, with security personnel ensuring that all passengers allowed to enter have a body temperature below 37.8°C.

“Dahil hindi na handheld ang device na gamit sa pagkuha ng temperatura, mas less contact na rin sa isa’t isa ang mga pasahero at sa MRT-3 personnel (Because the devices used to take temperatures are not handheld, there is less contact between passengers and MRT-3 personnel),” the MRT-3 said.

The rail management reminded passengers to strictly adhere to all health protocols in public transportation such as the wearing of face mask and shield, no talking, no eating, ensuring adequate ventilation inside vehicles, regular disinfection, rejecting passengers with Covid-19 symptoms, and following physical distancing guidelines.

On Jan. 18, the MRT-3 also soft-launched its contact tracing web application dubbed MRT-3 Trace that aims to fully digitize contact-tracing on the rail service.

Before its full implementation in February, passengers are still given the option to complete contact tracing by filling up paper forms, with some passengers complaining of issues with the MRT-3 Trace such as slowdowns or non-responsiveness. (PNA)