Air and coach services were allowed to resume in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau and its Con Dao Island, starting from 0:00 am on April 24, according to the provincial People’s Committee.
Foreign tourists are boarding a plane from Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria – Vung Tau. (Photo: VNA)
However, all transport service providers must make sure the occupancy rate on each journey must not exceed 50% of the seat numbers and that passengers must maintain a safe distance (at least one metre) from one another or middle seats made empty.
The easing of the social distancing came following successes in the country's COVID-19 fight.
Flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City and Con Dao as well as Vung Tau city and the island are now allowed at one return trip per day.
Express boats between Vung Tau and Con Dao were also back in service with 1 – 3 trips per day.
In the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang, inter-provincial coach services from the locality to Ben Tre, Long An and Dong Thap were resumed on April 23 with the same occupancy rate and safe distancing rules.
According to the Ministry of Transport, all transport service providers are required to be equipped with hand sanitiser, disinfectant and rubbish bins on all means of transport.
Passengers are asked to wear masks, fill in e-health declarations and have their body temperatures checked before boarding. Preventive measures such as natural ventilation and disinfectant spray on vehicles are also being implemented.