Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport has allowed all public and commercial transport services to begin operating at full capacity and frequency amidst the country’s gradual restart of its economy.

The decision, which was announced late Thursday afternoon, was made in accordance with a direction made by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a government meeting earlier that day, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan said.

Effective from 0:00 Friday, the decision allows public buses, taxicabs, contracted cars and coaches, trains, airplanes, and boats to operate at the capacity and frequency they had been operating under before restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

All public transport service operators are reminded to continue practicing COVID-19 prevention and control measures, including ensuring that all passengers and staff wear face masks while aboard vehicles, hand sanitizer is readily available, and seats and frequently touched surfaces are fumigated regularly.

Passengers and public transport employees are also encouraged to wash their hands with sanitizer before and after using public transport.

Meanwhile, distancing rules put in place to keep passengers one meter or one seat apart in each vehicle were already removed from Thursday.

The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 3.91 million people and killed more than 270,000 globally, according to statistics.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally stands at 288, with 233 having made a recovery, and no fatalities as of Friday morning. 

In early April, the Ministry of Transport forbade the operations of all four-wheeled commercial passenger vehicles while allowing only a handful of domestic flight and train routes per day.

The ban was lifted at the end of last month, as public buses, taxis, and long-haul coaches across the country resumed operations.

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