The first train from the South arrived at Vinh station after nearly 2 months of suspension.

At noon on October 14, train SE8 departed from Ho Chi Minh City at 6:00 a.m. on October 13 and arrived.Vinh stationThis is the first train from the South to the North after nearly 2 months of nationwide railway suspension to prevent the epidemic.

31 passengers returned to Vinh station from the South by train at noon on October 14. Photo: Quang An

It is known that on this train, there were a total of 31 passengers getting off at Vinh station, including 10 passengers returning from Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong, the epicenter of the epidemic in the country in recent times.

Mr. Le Van Cao, a passenger returning from the South, said: "At this time, Ho Chi Minh City has relaxed social distancing, I also planned to ride a motorbike with my brothers back to Nghe An, however, due to an unexpected incident, I had to stay. Luckily, now the train is operating again, so we are very happy to return home safely and quickly...".

After the passengers got off the train, medical staff, police, and Vinh station were present to check procedures including body temperature measurement, health declaration, and if the test result had expired, they would carry out quick testing procedures right at Vinh station...

Passengers undergo thorough medical checks upon disembarking. Photo: Quang An

Mr. Cao Ngoc Tuan - Head of Vinh Railway Transport Station said: "In addition to strict epidemic prevention steps at the station, we have also provided full information of the passengers to the Department of Transport and localities to coordinate and closely monitor the health status of these passengers in the coming days to ensure safety. Passengers arriving in the locality must comply with quarantine measures as prescribed".

Previously, the Ministry of Transport issued Decision No. 1782 dated October 11, 2021, including temporary regulations on piloting the organization of railway passenger transport activities to ensure control of the Covid-19 epidemic.

Accordingly, for train passengers traveling from very high-risk or high-risk areas to areas with equal or lower risk, they must have received two doses of Covid-19 vaccine or have recovered from the disease.Covid-19within 6 months from the time of returning to the locality. In addition, there must be a negative Covid-19 test result using the RT-PCR method or a rapid antigen test within 72 hours before boarding the ship...

Passengers boarding the ship must have a negative Covid-19 test certificate within 72 hours. If returning from a very high-risk area, they must have 2 doses of Covid-19 vaccine. Photo: Quang An

For passengers traveling from high-risk and new normal areas to areas with equal or higher risk, they must have a negative Covid-19 test result using RT-PCR or rapid antigen test within the previous 72 hours, and strictly follow the 5K recommendations...

All passengers must declare their information and complete a commitment at the station when boarding the train. If they make dishonest declarations or violate the commitment, they will be handled according to regulations./.