Today's English "HCM City to allow inner-city travel without permit starting Friday"

HCM City to allow inner-city travel without permit starting Friday.

Residents will be able to travel within HCM City without permits starting Friday while barriers at checkpoints within the city will be removed as the city relaxes stringent lockdown measures, according to a new directive issued by HCM City People’s Committee.

The new directive aims to defend against the pandemic while facilitating socio-economic growth and helping residents enter “a new normal”, according to Lê Hòa Bình, deputy chairman of HCM City People’s Committee.

“The city will stop issuing traveling permits and instead apply information technologies to make it less cumbersome for locals to travel. But safety has to be ensured,” he said.

Two mobile applications are currently being used to monitor travel: Y tế HCM (HCM City Health) that certifies vaccination or recovery from COVID-19, and VNEID for online health declarations.

City residents traveling or visiting different establishments, such as businesses, health facilities, and public transport, will show their QR codes on smartphone apps or papers (have received at least one vaccine shot more than two weeks prior to entry to an establishment or public transport, or have recovered from COVID-19 within the last six months).

Col. Nguyễn Sĩ Quang, deputy director of HCM City Police, said that officials would conduct random inspections on the road and that city residents should fill out online health declarations before traveling.

City residents are not allowed to travel freely outside the city, and if they need to, they must be permitted by the city’s Department of Transport and follow their regulations.

HCM City will maintain its inspection checkpoints across its borders and will check vehicles and travelers’ QR codes and other identification methods.