A bus stop in HCM City’s District 1. Public buses, taxis and service transport vehicles under nine seats will continue to be suspended until April 22.

Earlier, public services had been temporarily stopped from April 1-15 for all buses, fixed-route coaches, taxis, and service vehicles with fewer than nine seats.

The department, however, continue to allow operation of vehicles that are used to transport goods and materials for production, and provide food and other basic necessities. Shuttle buses carrying workers are also allowed. 

Inter-provincial coaches from the city to other provinces within a distance of around 100km are permitted to have two trips per day. Others of a longer distance are allowed to transport passengers for one trip a day.

Vehicles are requested to carry half of their designed capacity, with no more than 20 passengers at a time, and must be disinfected before picking up and after dropping off passengers.

All passengers must wear a face mask and keep a minimum distance of two metres from others.

Before departure, passengers must fill out a health declaration form and have their body temperature checked. 

The city's Department of Transport has worked with the Mai Linh Group to arrange 200 taxis at hospitals to provide free transport services to people in need, mainly for those who have been discharged from hospitals after recovery from surgery.

The city has also continued to suspend the operation of all inland ports and ferries providing transportation on rivers in the city until April 22.

Connecting Nha Be and Can Gio districts in the city, the Binh Khanh Ferry, however, will continue to serve travel needs and transport of goods of local residents and isolated areas in Can Gio District.

Cat Lai Ferry, which connects HCM City's District 2 and Dong Nai Province's Nhon Trach District, is allowed to carry passengers and vehicles from 5am-9am and 4pm-8pm.

Ferries servicing the Can Thanh-Phu Loi Islet route and the Phu Loi Islet-Thieng Lieng route in Can Gio District are continuing to operate.

Ferries currently in operation must ensure that they are carrying only 50 per cent of their designed capacity, and be equipped with disinfectant.

Ferry passengers must wear a face mask and keep a safe distance from others.

Traffic police and inspectors will continue to closely monitor and strictly handle violations.

HCM City has extended social distancing measures until at least April 22. — VNS

Social distancing extended for high-risk localities, including Hanoi & HCM City

Twelve localities deemed to have high risk of COVID-19 spread will continue to implement social distancing measures under Directive 16 of the Prime Minister to April 22 or 30, or even longer, if infections continue to be detected.

Majority of Vietnamese agree to extend social distancing to stop pandemic

Nearly 90 percent of the asked Vietnamese have agreed that the Government should continue its social distancing policy beyond April 15 to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a survey conducted by Infocus Mekong Research.