Upon receipt of the Official Dispatch No. 4045/BCT-TTTN dated July 8, 2021 from the Ministry of Industry and Trade on providing facilitation for transportation and circulation of essential goods and the Official Dispatch No. 6895/BGTVT-CYT dated July 15, 2021 of the Ministry of Transport on the proposal to determine the validity period of COVID-19 tests; in compliance with the Prime Minister’s direction to both prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic effectively in conjunction with the circulation of goods, and the direction of the Deputy Prime Minister - Head of the Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control at the meeting of the standing agency of the Steering Committee held on July 18, 2021, the Ministry of Health (acting as the standing agency of the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control) is calling on the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and People's Committees of provinces and centrally-affiliated cities, to provide the following direction:

1. Do NOT check certificates of SARS-CoV-2 test results of operators of goods transport (e.g. drivers, onboard personnel, porters or handlers) that only travels within a province or centrally-affiliated city applying the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 on implementation of urgent social distancing measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 epidemic, or stricter social distancing measures than those stated in the Directive 16/CT-TTg (hereinafter referred to as local jurisdictions applying the Directive No. 16);

2. If operators of goods transport travel from local jurisdictions applying the Directive No. 16 or blockade zones to other adjacent ones applying less strict disease prevention and control measures, they must have certificates of negative results for the SARS-CoV-2 test (whether RT-PCR or rapid antigen test) performed within 72 hours (from the sampling time).

3. Transport operators should be constrained from parking, stopping their transport or coming into close contact with other people; should follow the predetermined transport routes, keep a journey log and make a list of contacts; should regularly open windows to ensure air ventilation, and fully implement epidemic prevention and control measures (i.e. abiding by 5K message, especially medical declaration; always wearing masks during transportation, wearing anti-epidemic protective clothing when loading and unloading goods where necessary, sanitizing hands frequently, disinfecting their transport on a daily basis...).

4. People's Committees of provinces/centrally-affiliated cities shall preside over cooperating with the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Central Committee of Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, in directing relevant local authorities, local police, socio-political and health organizations to prepare rest stops convenient for SARS-CoV-2 sampling and testing activities (providing free tests for operators of means of transport of essential goods and production goods who are issued with identification cards indicating green-channel priority on transport routes with QR codes).

5. State-owned medical establishments at the commune or higher level or healthcare service providers (including private ones) can collect test samples and issue certificates of SARS-CoV-2 test results to operators of goods transport.

6. The Ministry of Transport shall take charge of channelizing traffic flows, coordinating rest stops to ensure safety against the COVID-19 epidemic; may arrange more rest stops when necessary, and must check and supervise them to ensure smooth traffic flows, avoiding any traffic congestion.

7. Frequently updated information about epidemic-hit areas should be posted on the Ministry of Health's website (https://moh.gov.vn).

Respectfully,

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