On Monday morning, hundreds of shippers line up in front of mobile medical stations to be tested for Covid-19. The number of shippers registered with the Department of Industry and Trade has reached up to 82,000 people.
At 6 a.m., shippers gather at Khanh Hoi Park in District 4 to be tested from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. Two long lines, spanning 400 meters, could be seen stretching all the way from the Vinh Hoi-No. 48 intersection to Hoang Dieu Street.
About 11 kilometers from the park, deliverymen could also be seen lining up at the Nguyen Oanh-Nguyen Huy Luong intersection in Go Vap District. The entire district has four locations for Covid-19 testing for deliverymen, operating from 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. daily.
Health workers and militia members remind people to stay in line and maintain a safe distance from each other.
"For the past three days, many Covid-19 testing locations in Go Vap have grown more crowded, especially as shippers are allowed to operate across different districts and restaurants are allowed takeaways. I've been here since 5 a.m., waited for over an hour and yet my turn hasn't come," said Tran Thanh Huyen.
About four kilometers away, around 100 shippers could be seen lining up on Phan Van Tri Street to be tested. The same scene could be observed at several other testing locations.
Before entering testing sites, shippers must recheck relevant information posted on the information portal of the trade department.
"Every day, the mobile medical station here takes around 600 samples. If there are spare testing kits, we would work overtime so shippers could go to work," said Cao Thi Thanh Huyen, office head of the Go Vap District youth union.
"Everyone has to wake up early, with not enough time for breakfast. We have to wait for more than two hours before the job's done. I hope there could be more testing sites," said Nguyen Van Hung after receiving his negative test certificate.
Starting Sept. 16, shippers in HCMC are allowed to operate across different districts, but must be vaccinated, registered with the trade department and be tested every two days.
