A coach assistant checks passengers’ temperatures before boarding a vehicle at Mỹ Đình coach terminal in Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo Phan Tuấn Anh

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Transport (MoT) on Sunday evening issued temporary regulations for a pilot programme of road transport.

Leaders of the MoT said that the regulations aimed at gradually restoring interprovincial passenger transport routes by car. It will help citizens travel and also remain suitable for COVID-19 prevention and control work. It will also ensure effective connection between provinces, contributing to economic recovery.

The pilot programme will run from October 13 to 20. During the period, the MoT will assess the results and report to the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Under the regulations, the MoT requires passengers, drivers and assistants to have had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine. The second doses must be at least 14 days before departure, or they must have recovered from COVID-19 in the last six months and have certificates of discharge from hospitals or of recovering from the virus.

They must have a negative test for SARS-CoV-2 within three days before departure. During the journey, they must follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message – khẩu trang (face masks), khử khuẩn (disinfection), khoảng cách (distancing), không tụ tập (no gatherings), and khai báo y tế (health declarations). Those with symptoms of coughing, high fever and difficulty breathing will not be allowed to board the coaches.

Seats on the coach must be distanced.

Also under the regulations, the MoT asked localities to manage people entering based on the Ministry of Health’s instructions to prevent COVID-19 from spreading in the community.

SARS-CoV-2 tests should be conducted on the second day after the passengers arrive.

Coach terminals must have plans for picking up and dropping off passengers safely, ensure social security, fire and COVID-19 prevention and control and environmental protection.

Coaches must allocate places for medical declarations, QR codes and checking declarations. They must allocate medical workers for quick SARS-CoV-2 testing and rooms for temporary quarantine. Ticket areas must ensure distancing and other regulations for pandemic prevention.

If anyone is discovered to have any symptoms of COVID-19, the patient must be quarantined and reported immediately to a local medical station.

Transport enterprises must strictly supervise drivers and assistants, and ensure tests are not out of date.

Coaches must run on regulated routes, picking up and dropping off passengers at places officially announced by the Directorate for Roads of Việt Nam. — VNS