A checkpoint bordering HCM City at Long An Province’s Bến Lức District. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City and its neighbouring provinces of Bình Dương, Tây Ninh, Đồng Nai and Long An have reached an agreement on the travelling of workers and experts between the five localities.

Võ Văn Minh, chairman of Bình Dương Province’s People’s Committee, said on Wednesday that it agreed with a proposal from the HCM City’s People’s Committee, allowing enterprises to transport workers and experts by company cars between HCM City and four localities.

Eligible commuters are people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or recovered from COVID-19 and have a negative Covid-19 test certificate within the previous 72 hours.

Only workers from Thuận An and Dĩ An towns in Bình Dương Province are allowed to commute to HCM City’s Thủ Đức City and vice versa by motorbikes.

Đồng Nai and Tây Ninh provinces backed the HCM City’s proposal. Workers and experts travelling by personal vehicles are currently restricted from entering these two provinces.

Enterprises must transport their labourers to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to industrial parks, according to Tây Ninh Province authorities.

Nguyễn Tấn Tài, director of the province’s Department of Transport, said drivers and commuters must be vaccinated or recover from COVID-19 within the last six months, and have a negative Covid-19 test certificate within 72 hours.

Meanwhile, Long An Province allow experts and labourers to use their personal vehicles to travel from HCM City and other provinces to Long An.

The provincial People’s Committee said the Departments of Transport of HCM City and four neighbouring provinces should reduce procedures needed to issue certificates to vehicles transporting workers and experts between these localities. — VNS