Reducing tolls during the outbreak at highways is the latest proposal from transportation and logistics businesses.
Difficulty avoiding
Choosing to “live with floods” to actively fight the epidemic is the message that businesses participating in the survey of the Private Economic Development Research Board (Board IV). This is why businesses, especially those in the Northern provinces – areas directly affected by this epidemic – are calmer during the third outbreak.
However, the difficulties that businesses face are not small and sometimes not only due to the impact of the epidemic.
For example, over the last few weekends, many businesses are quite embarrassed in implementing the Notice No. 73/TB-UBND issued by Hai Phong People’s Committee on February 24, 2021. With this notice, enterprises can extend the validity period of SARS-COV-2 test results for drivers from 3 days to 5 days and allow the use of National Highway 5A through Hai Duong to other localities and vice versa.
However, the implementation of this Notice is inconsistent in practice, at the time of notification, at congestion, making it difficult for businesses to predict.
Talking to Board IV, logistics enterprises said that the transportation of goods to and from Hai Duong, from Hai Duong to Hai Phong, as well as transportation through Hai Duong was severely affected, starting to cause difficulties for supply chains and production chains in many industrial parks.
This fact is difficult to avoid when localities are forced to take a number of measures to prevent the spread. However, the purchase and transportation of agricultural products from Hai Duong to Hai Phong port was clogged, leading to the cancellation of ship schedules, cancellation of contracts of agricultural export companies from Hai Duong.
According to the Dispatch No. 15/VP-HHVT of Hai Duong Transport Association to the Vietnam Transport Association on February 21, 2021, since the epidemic and stopped circulation, more than 100 orders for exporting agricultural products (about 650 containers of type 40 Feet) had to cancel the ship schedule and cancel the contract, causing 100 billion VND in damage. If Hai Duong’s carrots and agricultural products continue to be unable to export between now and the beginning of March 2021, the total damage is estimated to be over VND 400 billion.
In addition, in the report to the Prime Minister, Board IV mentioned the opinions of many enterprises in the Transport Association and Logistics Association about having to go around to avoid epidemic areas, in addition to additional costs. Specifically, in order to avoid the old road, National Highway 5, existing enterprises must take the Highway 5, causing the tolls to be increased from VND 1,000,000 – VND 1,500,000 depending on the route.
“This ins arises costs for many businesses and also affects the supply flow for businesses that are still carrying out both production and anti-epidemic”, the report of Board IV signed by Mr. Truong Gia Binh, Head of Department sent to the Prime Minister last weekend.
Donor businesses
Although the epidemic zones are being narrowed, enterprises believe that the principle of both anti-epidemic and economic recovery should be clearly demonstrated in the supporting policies and solutions of ministries. , industry, locality.
Synchronization and practice are mentioned by businesses participating in the Board IV survey as a prerequisite requirement to help businesses reduce damage and motivate the business community to recover.
Currently, logistics enterprises are proposing to survey and select eligible locations to be a safe buffer zone for uninterrupted freight transportation, such as road stops on highways and highways. Goods, vehicles and even drivers in the epidemic area, after handling the anti-epidemic measures, are gathered here. In case of need, businesses will comply with the requirements of changing drivers or comparing a team of dedicated drivers to comply with regulations on epidemic prevention. The organization of goods transportation at the Huu Nghi – Lang Son border gate is an example of this solution.
Particularly for vehicles serving import and export goods into Hai Phong’s ports, businesses want to build their own circulation corridors so as not to disrupt the supply chain of goods. The opinion of Board IV is that it is possible to apply the registration of driving lists that have taken epidemic prevention measures to facilitate the control of vehicles, and at the same time the specialized agencies shall supervise the operation of vehicles through journey monitoring equipment.
In addition, in the context that the epidemic is still complicated, covid-19 testing for drivers residing in any locality is facilitated by the health authorities of that locality to take samples and return test results, it is not mandatory for drivers to return to the locality where the permanent residence is registered for testing and obtaining results.
Return to the case of Notice 73 of Hai Phong People’s Committee, businesses are actively working on the commitment of businesses in complying with room regulations. epidemic prevention even though there is no agency to guide. However, many businesses said they were forced to choose to run a longer route than National Highway 5B to wait and see how to direct the implementation of this Notice…
In the report to the Prime Minister, Board IV proposes to reduce tolls during the outbreak at highways where carriers have to change their itineraries due to old routes quarantined due to epidemics as recommended by logistics enterprises.
In addition, Board IV also asked the Government to study and can direct the Government Office to quickly set up an information channel to update all documents directing the administration from the central to the local level on anti-epidemic so that businesses and people can grasp information in a timely and synchronized manner. This helps businesses to be more proactive in the process of allees on human resources, goods circulation plans, calculating reasonable circulation costs to both effectively comply with the government’s direction and local requirements and ensure the continuous maintenance of production and business.