There are approximately 62,000 delivery drivers currently working in the city
The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade proposed on Thursday that health authorities vaccinate 62,000 delivery workers against COVID-19 to ensure the flow of goods during the current social distancing period.
The 62,000 workers provide motorbike delivery service under the management of 16 companies, including food delivery applications Grab, Now, Baemin, and Gojek and e-commerce platforms such as Shopee and Lazada.
The list of delivery workers had been complied and submitted to the Department of Industry and Trade before city authorities enforced extensive social distancing rules on July 22, according to a representative of a tech-based company.
The representative emphasized that vaccination for delivery workers is necessary in order to ensure the safety of delivery and the circulation of essential goods during the period of restrictions.
On Tuesday, 1,500 Grab motorbike partners in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City were given the COVID-19 vaccine.
The People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City currently allows delivery workers to transport essential goods between different districts and Thu Duc City from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.
The delivery workers must wear uniforms, including an armband, and be equipped with a quick response code and other paperwork to pass through checkpoints.
Authorities have administered more than 5.5 million jabs, including over 1.2 million doses in Ho Chi Minh City, since Vietnam rolled out its inoculation campaign on March 8.
About 546,400 people are fully vaccinated, with more than 66,800 of them living in the southern metropolis.
The Ministry of Health on Friday morning confirmed 4,987 new domestic COVID-19 cases, including 2,740 infections in Ho Chi Minh City, taking the country’s tally to 133,405, with 31,780 recoveries, as recorded since early 2020.
Since April 27, when the pandemic’s fourth wave appeared in Vietnam, the city has accounted for 84,521 cases in the national caseload of 129,622 domestic infections.
