After HCMC and Binh Duong eased the social distancing restrictions, thousands of people, who originally come from Northern mountainous provinces, started riding their motorbikes from Southern localities to their homes in the North.
Photographers of the Public Security Newspaper recorded the moments featuring traffic police supporting hundreds of people during their long journey while groups of vehicles stopped at a COVID-19 checkpoint at the Cau Gie road junction, Phu Xuyen district, Hanoi.
The number of people riding motorbikes from Southern localities going through the checkpoint increased in recent days, said Captain Huynh Tan Quang, an officer of Traffic Police Team No.8. Most of them are ethnic minority people from Northern mountainous provinces, who had worked in Southern localities but been unemployed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They had no choice but returned home.
At the checkpoint, all passers-by have to declare their health information and be tested for SARS-CoV-2. They are also provided with food and drinking water as well as temporary resting places.
People make health declarations before going through the checkpoint and continuing their journey. People have the same destination going in groups.
Some people fall asleep when reaching Hanoi, after a 1,000-km-long journey. After a snap, they will continue riding hundreds of kilometers before getting home.
Some people had to stop to fuel up or their vehicles have broken down after a long journey.
Some 400 people went through the checkpoint each day during the past 3 days, according to policemen.
Over 180 people reached the checkpoint at 4 am on October 6, they made health declarations and continued their journey after 2 hours resting.
The traffic police use their special-function vehicles to escort groups of people going to their home province.
Traffic policemen also assist people with their motorbike broken or illnesses.
People queue for making health declarations.
A couple take a rest before continuing their journey.
Vu A Nong, 21, from Cao Bang, feels relief when arriving in Hanoi. Nong worked in Binh Duong for 3 months when the pandemic hit the province. He only has money to buy fuel and feels lucky and thankful to police and military officers for giving him food and place to rest.
