HCMC – The Ministry of Transport on October 16 issued temporary instructions about the operation of transport services, requiring only passengers using road and waterway transport services to undergo Covid-19 tests if they are from areas with an extremely high risk of pandemic transmission and areas under lockdown.
Under the instructions, passengers must also be tested if they show one of the symptoms of fever, cough, fatigue, shortness of breath and loss of taste or smell. In addition, those coming from high-risk areas will undergo Covid-19 tests if required, the local media reported.
Fully vaccinated people and those having recovered from Covid-19 will undergo the tests if they are related to Covid-19 cases or come from extremely-high-risk areas and areas under lockdown.
The test results are valid for 72 hours.
The new regulations are less stringent than the previous ones as the Ministry of Transport had earlier asked all passengers from low- and high-risk areas to under Covid-19 tests.
Under the new instructions, passenger transport vehicles in low- and moderate-risk areas will operate as normal. Meanwhile, in high-risk areas, the number of operational vehicles must not exceed half of the total vehicles operated by an enterprise.
In extremely-high-risk areas, coaches, buses, contracted vehicles and passenger cars will be suspended. Meanwhile, taxis and tech-based vehicles with fewer than nine seats each will be allowed to operate but the number of operational vehicles must not exceed 20% of the total vehicles of firms.
Moreover, inland waterway passenger transport activities will be resumed as normal in low- and moderate-risk areas. In high-risk areas, the number of boats must not exceed 50% of the total.
The service will be suspended in extremely-high-risk areas, except for special cases allowed by provincial and municipal governments.
Cargo transport services are allowed in all areas.
As for the rail and air transport, the Ministry of Health will not amend the regulations until October 20. Accordingly, passengers departing from higher-risk areas must be fully vaccinated or recover from Covid-19 and test negative for Covid-19, while those from lower-risk areas must test negative only.
