BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The Covid-19 virus pandemic has continued to alter our planet. The coronavirus had its first
epicenter in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and it soon spread to other nations. The COVID-
19 pandemic was proclaimed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March 2020.
Lockdowns, social segregation laws, the requirement to wear a face mask, house quarantines,
and the whole or partial cessation of transit have all had an impact on human mobility. Public
transportation services are extremely vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic thus, they
must continue operating for as long as possible. However, they reduce their use of public
transportation and prioritize cleanliness and hygienic practices. In Australia, people wash their
cars three times a day, and at night they give the interior a thorough cleaning(Wong, 2020).
Sagar (2020) said that in a matter of weeks, everything has changed. Millions of lives are
infected, economies of different countries fell down, many people give over their lives to save
others that none of one is safe until everyone is safe.

In the Philippines, motorized tricycle drivers are common that enable to carry passenger
from remote areas to rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic condition severely damaged the
socioeconomic fabric of Philippine society, particularly the transportation system.
Transportation system has greatly affected by Covid-19 pandemic. Even though the Philippines
is already at a low warning level, the Covid-19 disease is still there, putting the health of tricycle
drivers at danger. According to Schwartz (2020), public transportation has a number of
characteristics that are linked to a higher Covid-19 score. Transmission risk, which includes the
possibility of overcrowding on buses, jeepneys tricycles and other forms of transit. As an
alternative livelihood for tricycle drivers whose income was affected by the pandemic, as part
of the new normal. The city government created the 3- Wheel on the Go program to buy goods
without leaving their homes (David, 2020).

Tricycle is one of the mode of transportation along the Sipalay City, it is one of the primary
work of Sipalaynon to have an income and sustain their family. It also responsible for the
importation and exportation of goods and services from the City. The pandemic had an impact
on Sipalaynon's primary position as a tricycle driver. Even though Sipalay City is on low alert
level, the virus is still present. The main worry among tricycle drivers is that occasionally they
disregard the rules, which may eventually put their health in danger. Consequently, their job
will be significantly impacted.Moreover, to point out that crisis that occurs in drivers is for
services provided response amid a pandemic situation like this with various binding rules
related to the limitation of human movement from one place to another, which can even lead
to crowds (Andryani et al., 2021).

Ten Local Government Units (LGUs) around the nation, including the Negros Occidental, have
de-escalated to alert level 1. According to IATF-EID indicators, the DOH stated that these areas
were able to de-escalate by maintaining low risk case classification and total bed usage rates, as
well as by meeting or exceeding immunization thresholds for the target population and the
target A2 (senior citizens) priority group (DOH, 2022). However, Sipalay City has already
reached a low Covid-19 virus alert level, and the virus is still prevalent, putting the health of
tricycle drivers at risk. When they are grouped to their demographic profile of the said
respondents.