Thousands of workers put themselves at risk in Saigon

These days, several dozen buses transporting workers of Pouyuen Vietnam Co., Ltd. at the Tan Tao Industrial Park in Binh Tan converge on Highway 1, making the area heavily congested during rush hours.

Pouyuen Vietnam, a footwear maker, employs around 62,000 workers. The increased number of buses these days has been credited to the social distancing campaign, allowing only 19 people on a bus to minimize the risk of Covid-19 infections. 

At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, thousands of workers rush to the main gate of the company to go home, completely ignoring the two-meter distance that has to be kept between two persons during the 15-day nationwide social distancing campaign launched April 1 by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

Most workers wear face masks, but fail to keep a distance of two meters between each other.

To avoid prolonged congestion in front of the company, some workers in Duc Hoa District in Long An Province rush into the bus waiting outside, again ignoring distancing guidelines. 

"Going to work during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, everyone is worried because no one knows who has been infected with the virus. The company does not allow workers to stay off work," said Nguyen Thi Bich of Long An Province. 

Workers sit apart from each other on the bus. 

Thick traffic congestion in the area around the Tan Tao Industrial Park during rush hour as Pouyuen workers flock home.

A police officer on duty circulates traffic to avoid heavy congestion on Highway 1. 

Motorbikes and buses transporting workers crowd the gateway to the Mekong Delta. 

After 5 p.m. a street side spontaneous market near the industrial park is crowded with workers doing their shopping.

Ho Chi Minh City, home to 13 million people, including migrants, has about 450,000 businesses employing 3.8 million workers.

Vietnam's Covid-19 infection tally stood at 257 Saturday morning, with 144 discharges.