Locals in HCM City travellingon roadsin September. The city will allow travel within the city without permits from Friday (October 1).

The new directive aims to defend against the pandemic while facilitating socio-economic growth and helping residents enter “a new normal”, according to Le Hoa Binh, deputy chairman of HCM City People’s Committee.

“The city will stop issuing travelling permits and instead apply information technologies to make it less cumbersome for locals to travel. But safety has to be ensured,” he said.

Two mobile applications are currently being used to monitor travel: Y tế HCM (HCM City Health) that certifies vaccination or recovery from COVID-19, and VNEID for online health declarations. 

City residents travelling or visiting different establishments, such as businesses, health facilities and public transport, will show their QR codes on smartphone apps or papers (have received at least one vaccine shot more than two weeks prior to entry to establishment or public transport, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months).

Col. Nguyen Si Quang, deputy director of HCM City Police, said that officials would conduct random inspections on the road and that city residents should fill out online health declarations before travelling.

City residents are not allowed to travel freely outside the city, and if they need to, they must be permitted by the city’s Department of Transport and follow their regulations.

HCM City will maintain its inspection checkpoints across its borders and will check vehicles and travellers' QR codes and other identification methods.

Public transport services can resume operation depending on each area's pandemic conditions, but only at 50 per cent of the vehicle’s maximum capacity.

Bình urged locals not to go outside in large numbers and be mindful of pandemic preventive and control measures.

Source: VNS