Coaches park at Cao Bang Station as the province's authority decided not to resume passenger coaches until April 24. — Photo: kinhtedothi.vn

Social distancing measures were first implemented across Vietnam for the first half of this month and then, extended for 12 localities at high risk of COVID-19 infections until April 22.

The localities classified as high risk are Hanoi, HCM City and Da Nang, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh (Truong Yen), Quang Nam, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Tay Ninh and Ha Tinh. 

Fifteen localities at medium risk are Binh Duong, Can Tho, Dong Nai, Ha Nam, Hai Phong, Kien Giang, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Thai Nguyen, Thua Thien-Hue, Soc Trang, Lang Son, An Giang, Binh Phuoc and Dong Thap.

Other provinces are in the low risk group.

The risk classification is based on density of traffic, population, factories, industrial parks, having borders or not, the number of people going through borders or places where foreigners used to stay, and pandemic response capacity of local authorities.

As soon as the social distancing measures were halted in localities with low risk of infection, the Directorate for Roads of Vietnam last Friday issued guidance on resuming passenger coaches in such provinces. Accordingly, inter-provincial passenger coaches could travel between 35 provinces of the low-risk group.

To be eligible to run on roads, the coaches must not fill more than half of available seats and the total number of passengers on each trip must not be more than 20. Passengers are required to not sit too close to each other. All people on the coaches must wear face masks, clean their hands with disinfectant gel and declare their health status before boarding.

Director of the directorate Nguyen Van Huyen said that local authorities in low-risk provinces were empowered to decide to resume or continue suspending the operations of passenger coaches.

As coaches were not allowed to travel through provinces at high and medium risk of COVID-19 infections, the coaches had to take longer routes, Huyen said, adding that they must accept the inconvenience, giving priority to disease prevention and control.

Chairman of Cao Bang Province People’s Committee Hoang Xuan Anh told Kinh tế & Đô thị (Urban and Economic Affairs) newspaper that the province would still suspend passenger coaches despite it having a low risk of infection.

“Cao Bang neighbours Lang Son, Ha Giang and Thai Nguyen – three provinces at medium risk of COVID-19 infection. We can travel to Bac Kan – a province in the same low risk group, but in fact, we don’t have any regular passenger coaches running to Bac Kan,” Anh said.

“Cao Bang plans to stop operating passenger coaches until April 24,” he said, adding that resuming operation at this time still poses a high risk, especially when coaches picked up passengers during the journey.

In addition, coach operators were asked to reduce trip frequency by half and only fill half of seats, which increases inefficiency, he said.

Other provinces like Son La, Hai Duong and Dien Bien will also continue suspending passenger coaches during the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the northern province of Hoa Binh started resuming the coaches, head of the province’s Transport Department Bui Duc Hau said.

He said local authorities and coach operators changed the coach routes so that their coaches would not cross localities at high/medium risk of infection.

Hau said that buses on Hoa Binh-Hanoi and Hoa Binh-Ha Nam routes were suspended while only half of local taxis were allowed to run.

“The province set up checkpoints to stop coaches entering high/medium-risk provinces,” he said, calling for operators from other provinces to tighten inspections and stop coaches from entering restricted areas.  VNS

Hanoi’s coach stations propose extending opening hours

Hanoi’s Transport Department is considering allowing coach stations in the city to open at night to ease overcrowding.