A local resident is vaccinated in HCM City's District 1 on August 13. The city is considering a "vaccine green card" system for locals. – VNA/VNS Photo Thu Hương

HCM CITY – HCM City is looking into a “vaccine green card” system to allow eligible residents to travel and work under fewer COVID-19 restrictions, facilitating the economy’s recovery, according to Phan Văn Mãi, chairman of the city People’s Committee.

The city has formed a working group to focus on recovering the economy while staying safe from the pandemic after September 15, when the strict social distancing order is expected to be relaxed if the city is able to keep the outbreak under control.

After September 15, businesses and workers will have to satisfy safety regulations in order to reopen, including vaccinations for employees.

Medical and economic experts are currently researching vaccine green card systems and related requirements, and more details will be available at a later date.

Dương Anh Đức, deputy chairman of the People’s Committee, said that under the vaccine green card model, more relaxed social distancing regulations could be applied to residents meeting certain requirements.

Vaccinating the city’s population quickly is important for reopening the economy, he said.

Patients who have fully recovered will be exempted from vaccinations for six months, and will be able to go to work, similar to locals who have received their second shot. Their discharge papers will be redesigned to be a certification, updated on the city’s database.

Mãi expressed hope that the central Government will supply more vaccines so that more locals can get their second shot.

The city's Department of Information and Communications is working with the Ministry of Information and Communication and Ministry of Health to include national data on vaccinations into the city’s general database.

The city can then use the data to work with business associations to ensure safe production, and verify local residents' number of shots when they make health declarations.

HCM City is Việt Nam’s COVID-19 epicentre, with over 265,000 cases found since late April. It has been imposing strict preventive measures, carrying out more tests to isolate COVID-19 cases, and asking locals to “stay where they are”.

The city targets giving all adults aged 18 and above their first vaccine shot by September 15, and their second shot by the end of the year.

As of September 7, of the more than 6.1 million adults aged 18 and over who have received their first shots (85.2 per cent of the city’s adult population), 600,000 people have received their second shots.

Other provinces such as Bình Dương and Đồng Nai are also considering a vaccine green card to prepare for “the new normal”. – VNS