From noon on July 8, Hai Phong deployed a medical force to quickly test Covid-19 at city entrances to prevent the disease from entering the city. The functional force instructed the drivers to come to a halt, exit the vehicle, and undergo medical declaration procedures, as well as a Covid-19 test, and the average time for testing is about 30 minutes per person. After making a medical declaration, doing a quick test with negative results for Covid-19, the functional force stamped on the hands of cases eligible to enter the city.
The majority of the gates saw prolonged traffic congestion in the afternoon of July 9, particularly at the checkpoints of National Highway 5, National Highway 10, Ngan Bridge, and the intersection of the Hanoi – Hai Phong Expressway branch to National Highway 10 in An Lao district.
According to city leaders, the house awaiting testing must be 50 to 100m2 wide, the toll house is 15m2, and the sample house is 20m2. Each point contains 10 tables and staff seats, as well as 300 to 500 waiting seats and ventilation fans.
All cases entering the city are required to make medical declarations and rapid tests with a fee of 230.000 VND per person. Truck drivers carrying containers, transporting gasoline, and transporting workers are exempt from testing.
National Highway 5 features two lanes for motor vehicles and one lane for rudimentary vehicles in each direction. For many years, this route has been overcrowded due to the high density of people and modes of transportation in and out of Hai Phong harbor, which is now becoming increasingly congested due to quarantine operations.
Set up a solution to reduce congestion but still ensure safety
In light of this circumstance, many drivers have proposed that Hai Phong City adjust its epidemic-control methods to avoid traffic congestion on Highway 5, assuring a smooth return of products to the harbor.
In addition, there is also the difficulty of testing costs for small business households. A woman carrying goods from Kinh Mon town (Hai Duong) to Hai Phong shared: “My family’s longan garden begins to harvest, every day I bring it to Hai Phong to sell, I don’t earn much, but I have to pay for it 230.000 VND for a quick test”.
On the afternoon of July 9, the number 1 checkpoint located at Du Nghia Station controlled people and vehicles on National Highway 5 in the direction of Hanoi to Hai Phong, thousands of means of transport lined up in line 2, row 3 lasted from 5 to 6 kilometer, and in the evening the convoy became more and more congested, making it very difficult for the functional forces to regulate.
Le Khac Nam, Vice-Chairman of the City People’s Committee, stated that the local authorities were aware of the traffic situation. However, to contain the epidemic and minimize transmission in the area, the city is compelled to strictly monitor who enters and exits the city. The division of traffic lanes in any region is unsuitable, the city will consider and alter.
Van Anh
