Hanoi traffic piles up at high-risk Covid checkpoints

At 7 a.m. on Monday, vehicles could be seen congesting a Covid-19 checkpoint on Cau Dien Street of Bac Tu Liem District.

Starting last Saturday, authorities erected checkpoints to separate high-risk areas in the capital.

Hanoi said high-risk areas include locations in Tay Ho, Ba Dinh, Cau Giay, Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Thanh Xuan, Ha Dong, Thanh Tri, Hoang Mai, Nam Tu Liem, Bac Tu Liem, Hoai Duc, Thanh Oai and Thuong Tin.

People wait at a checkpoint on Cau Dien Street, with traffic congestion lasting up to an hour.

Pham Van Chien, head of traffic police division No. 6 under the Hanoi police department, said the traffic jam was due to the fact that it's the start of a new week. On Monday morning, the checkpoint on Cau Dien Street merely reminded people of the rules while imposing no fines.

An officer at a checkpoint on Ho Tung Mau Street screens the body temperature of a commuter.

People typically carry travel approval documents and other relevant information on their phones.

Tran Nhat Duat Street was divided into two lanes to ease traffic flow.

At around 7 a.m., traffic began to ramp up on Nguyen Trai Street, which leads downtown.

A section of Buoi Street was moderately clear of vehicles in the absence of any checkpoints.

Traffic also escalated on Cau Giay Street in the morning.

Unlike roads feeding downtown areas, Hang Dao Street, along with others inside the Old Quarter and high-risk areas, were relatively quiet.

Phan Dinh Phung, a downtown street in Ba Dinh District, also saw few vehicles.

Phan Dinh Phung, a downtown street in Ba Dinh District, also saw few vehicles.

A section of Chien Thang Street in Ha Dong District, which intersects with Tran Phu Street, was barricaded to traffic.