Works on removing the last 51 checkpoints in the city began at 6:00 pm on Tuesday
Authorities cleared all COVID-19 checkpoints at 12 entrances to Ho Chi Minh City, the last to stand in the southern metropolis, on Tuesday evening per a new decision issued by the municipal People’s Committee.
The decision also stipulated the removal of 39 roadblocks along the border between Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces.
Works on removing those 51 checkpoints in the city began at 6:00 pm on Tuesday.
They had been put in place on July 9, when city authorities enforced social distancing measures under the prime minister’s Directive No. 16, an equivalent to a lockdown.
At the same time, functional forces established more than 300 other checkpoints across the city’s many roads before suspending their operations in late September, paving the way for the relaxation of COVID-19 curbs on October 1.
From July 9 to Sunday, officers inspected more than 3.8 million vehicles and over 4.5 million people passing through the checkpoints, according to statistics from the municipal Department of Transport.
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| Officers pack items upon the removal of the COVID-19 checkpoint at Song Than Overpass on National Highway 1A in Ho Chi Minh City, October 26, 2021. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre |
Following the clearance of the last COVID-19 checkpoints, the municipal administration requested the local police and related units to frequently patrol the city to detect and handle violations of regulations on pandemic prevention.
In addition, the municipal People’s Committee assigned the Department of Health to track the development of the new Delta Plus variant of the coronavirus, which has spread to over 40 countries around the world.
As Vietnam’s largest virus epicenter, Ho Chi Minh City has recorded over 426,000 COVID-19 community cases, including 16,411 deaths, since a flare-up hit the nation on April 27.
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| A traffic police officer loads boxes of items onto a truck following the removal of the COVID-19 checkpoint at Song Than Overpass on National Highway 1A in Ho Chi Minh City, October 26, 2021. Photo: Minh Hoa / Tuoi Tre |
Recently, the pandemic prevention and control mission in the city has achieved positive results, with the numbers of new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths all decreasing sharply.
On Sunday, the municipal People’s Committee declared the city as a locality with medium risk of COVID-19 transmission.
It has also allowed many industries and fields to reopen starting October 1.
