Traffic police in HCM City check vehicles at a checkpoint set up under the Government’s Directive No 16 social distancing regulations amid the COVID-19 pandemic. — VNA/VNS Photo Thành Chung

HCM CITY — The HCM City Department of Transport has drafted a set of criteria for evaluating the safety of operations for transport businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The department has sent the draft to the city’s Department of Health for appraisal.

The draft proposes 10 evaluation criteria, including six mandatory criteria and four additional criteria.

Each criterion grades the transport businesses on a 10-point scale.

The percentage of the safety index will be calculated by the average of the total points for 10 criteria divided by 100.

To resume operation, transport businesses are required to meet all mandatory criteria without zero points and at least 70 per cent of the safety index.

If businesses have a safety index ranging from 60 per cent to 70 per cent and do not have any mandatory criteria with zero points, they will be allowed to resume operation.

However, they have to commit to solving the problem and achieve a minimum safety index of 70 per cent within two days, and if not, they must suspend their operations.

Businesses will be not allowed to resume their operations if they have a safety index of below 60 per cent or one of mandatory criteria with zero points.

The first mandatory criterion requires that drivers and attendants have their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at least two weeks before resumption of work, or have recovered from COVID-19 over the past six months.  If they have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, it must be at least two weeks prior to resumption of work. These cases will get 10 points.

If they received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine four weeks prior to resuming work, or have recovered from COVID-19 over the past six months but have not received any dose of COVID-19 vaccine, these cases will get 7 points.

Those who do not meet any of these requirements will receive zero points.

The second mandatory criterion concerns testing of drivers and attendants. Periodic COVID-19 testing is 10 points, infrequent COVID-19 testing is 5 points, and no testing is zero.

The third mandatory criterion requires strictly following the Ministry of Health’s 5K massage: khẩu trang (face mask), khử khuẩn (disinfection), khoảng cách (distance), không tụ tập (no gathering), and khai báo y tế (health declaration), and COVID-19 vaccinations (10 points for strictly following and zero for not following).

The next mandatory criterion requires offering hand sanitisers with at least 70 per cent alcohol for passengers, using disinfectant solutions to clean vehicles, and equipping trash cans with closed lids on all means of transport (from 10 points to zero).

The fifth mandatory criterion will offer 10 points for vehicles transporting passengers (including drivers and attendants) at 50 per cent of their capacity, or cargo transport having no more than two people in one vehicle.

Five points will be given to vehicles transporting passengers at 50 per cent to 70 per cent of their capacity, or cargo transport having more than two people in one vehicle and keeping a safe distance from each other.

Vehicles transporting passengers more than 70 per cent of their capacity, or cargo transport having more than two people in one vehicle and not keeping a safe distance will receive no points.

In the last mandatory criterion, vehicles will get 10 points if they have propaganda posters, recommendations and guidance on pandemic prevention and control measures according to regulations. If not, they receive no points.

Four additional criteria include establishing a steering committee (or working group) and having a plan for pandemic prevention and control work; cleaning and disinfecting the vehicle at the end of each trip; the level of ventilation of the vehicle; and placing a partition between driver and passenger in the vehicle.

Each criterion is also scored based on a 10-point grading scale, getting 10 points if the requirement is fulfilled and no point if the requirement is not followed. — VNS