Balancing epidemic control, logistics is key, ministry says

With many regions having adopted additional epidemic-control measures for freight vehicles amid the current COVID-19 outbreaks, the Ministry of Transport and other central authorities have called for smooth freight transportation, especially of key production materials and daily necessities, to maintain the stability of the industrial and supply chains across the country.

Some regions have adopted "one-size-fits-all" control measures and have temporarily closed some expressway service areas. This has led some epidemic prevention and testing stations along highways to become congested, resulting in blocked freight and affecting the supply of materials in certain areas, the ministry said in a notice released over the weekend.

"Properly balancing epidemic control measures and smooth logistics is key to winning the latest battle against COVID-19 and is also critical to ensuring a stable supply chain and a normal life for the people," it said.

Effective measures must be taken to cut the transmission chains of the virus. At the same time, the road traffic network, the green channels for emergency transportation, and the transportation of basic production materials and daily necessities should not be suspended, according to decisions made at a meeting held on Thursday.

The meeting was held by multiple central government agencies such as the Ministry of Transport, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce and the National Health Commission.

The notice, issued on Saturday, made clear that no epidemic testing stations should be set up along expressways, and service areas cannot be closed without permission from transportation authorities.

To ensure smooth transport, the ministry said it will standardize "health passes" for truck drivers and staff members in the logistics industry so that their health status can be recognized nationwide. It also called for sufficient food and sanitary supplies for truck drivers.

"Traffic control measures should be made according to laws and regulations," the release said, adding that local authorities should not impose stricter restrictions incrementally.

As the eastern metropolis of Shanghai, a key economic hub of the country, is dealing with its worst epidemic situation in years, the Yangtze River Delta and regions nearby are experiencing logistics difficulties due to hardened epidemic control measures.

In Shanghai, trucks cannot move in and out of the city without special permits, which are only valid for 24 hours and on specific routes. Such regulations have also been expanded to other regions, and some local authorities have adopted unnecessary epidemic control policies.

In an interview with news outlet ThePaper.cn on Saturday, a truck driver surnamed Song said he was forced to stay in an expressway service area in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, for four days, despite having a negative nucleic acid test result.

Traveling from South China's Guangdong province, Song said he had never been to any city or district with high or medium risks and kept taking nucleic acid tests every 48 hours.

"But staff members at the expressway entrance to Taiyuan told me that all trucks from other provinces could not enter the city, even with a negative nucleic acid test result," he said.

Song said he asked the health department in Taiyuan for a solution, but he hasn't received any explanation so far. For now, he must stay in the service area and wait for the department to respond.

Besides Shanxi, many truck drivers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Guangdong and Shandong provinces have also become trapped in expressway service areas due to various reasons related to epidemic control, according to media reports.