HCMC considers ‘green pass’ for partially vaccinated residents

It has also said that all pass holders should be required to follow due coronavirus restrictions and regular tests.

The proposal, submitted Saturday by the department to the city's Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, says people who have had one Covid-19 vaccine shot at least two weeks prior and Covid-19 cases who have completed their quarantine periods should be granted the passes that aim to foster and expedite economic recovery,.

However, even "green pass" holders would still have to abide by coronavirus control measures like wearing masks and keeping distances, and take regular Covid-19 tests, the proposal says.

The plan to deploy "green passes" can have a positive impact, encouraging people to get vaccinated. While such a pass is proof that someone has been immunized against the coronavirus, it does not guarantee that holders won't get infected or pass the virus to someone else, the department notes.

In a previous draft plan prepared by the department for Covid-19 prevention and economic recovery, the "green passes" were to be granted only to fully vaccinated individuals who’d received their last shots at least two weeks prior, recovered Covid-19 cases, and self-tested coronavirus cases who finished quarantine and whose bodies have produced antibodies.

The passes, valid for six months, were expected to allow holders to undertake certain activities without normal coronavirus restrictions, like domestic and international travel and participating in public events.

HCMC, epicenter of Vietnam’s fourth coronavirus wave, has recorded 331,032 local Covid-19 cases in the latest outbreak so far. Nearly 13,000 city residents have lost their lives to the disease.

The city has vaccinated around 6.8 million people with at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot. Around two million people have been fully vaccinated.