GrabCar resumes HCMC service

Grab Vietnam announced the decision Thursday, adding that the HCMC Department of Transport required the firm to limit the number of vehicles and drivers for coronavirus prevention.

Drivers should be fully vaccinated and test negative for the coronavirus every seven days. Vehicles should only transport passengers within HCMC.

Constant disinfection is required and windows have to opened with no air conditioning for ventilation purposes. There should be screens to separate passengers and drivers and to prevent unnecessary contact with surfaces.

In a transportation guide for Ho Chi Minh City issued by the municipal transport department on Oct. 1, the city allows buses, taxis and contracted passenger cars under nine seats to resume operation starting Oct. 5, albeit with limited capacity.

Ride-hailing firms are allowed to resume business with cars of less than nine seats, but the number of vehicles on the street must be kept under 10 percent of the total.

HCMC, epicenter of Vietnam's latest Covid-19 wave, started reopening its socio-economic activities from Oct. 1 after spending four months under various levels of social distancing.