The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has allowed 400 taxis to be put back into operation in order to transport local residents to hospitals following a blanket ban on all car transport services in the city meant to curb the spread of COVID-19.  

Of the 400 taxis, a half are opperated by Vinasun Corporation and the other half by Mai Linh Group.

The designated cabs must be parked at hospitals and medical centers and have a stamp issued by the municipal Department of Health stuck to their windshields.

They must also be equipped with hand sanitizer and be completely disinfected after each trip.

Fares for these cabs are calculated by distance.

Drivers and passengers in the taxis must wear face masks, make medical declarations, and limit the use of air conditioning. Authorities recommend that the windows remain open during trips.

Representatives of Vinasun and Mai Linh said that the firms are completing sticking stamps on the taxis and have arranged coordinators stationed at hospitals and medical centers to give instruction to passengers.

In accordance with Directive No. 10 of the Ho Chi Minh City administration, all taxis, app-based car services, inner-city buses, and inter-provincial coaches were suspended from June 20.

Following the ban, local residents have complained about difficulties in accessing healthcare facilities.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Transport thus proposed that 400 taxis be put back into operation in order to satisfy these demands.

Vietnam had documented 13,989 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning, with 5,684 recoveries and 70 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has recorded 10,694 local infections in 45 provinces and cities since the latest new outbreak began on April 27.

Ho Chi Minh City ranks second in the table with 2,098 cases.

The metropolis entered a period of enhanced social distancing on May 31 before the city’s administration issued directive No. 10 on the evening of June 19, which enforced stricter COVID-19 prevention and control measures due to the increasingly serious development of the pandemic.

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