The Ministry of Transport has issued a notice to further strengthen the provision of transportation services for essential supplies in areas affected by the COVID‑19 pandemic.

Release date:

2021-12-02

Author:

Jinhua Logistics

Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued the “Notice on Further Strengthening Transportation and Logistics Support for Essential Supplies in Areas Affected by the COVID‑19 Epidemic,” thoroughly implementing the deployment requirements of the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism and further enhancing transportation and logistics support for key essential supplies, particularly in areas under epidemic‑related lockdowns.

Recently, the Ministry of Transport issued the “Notice on Further Strengthening Transportation and Logistics Support for Essential Supplies in Areas Affected by the COVID‑19 Epidemic” (hereinafter referred to as the “Notice”), which thoroughly implements the deployment requirements of the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism and further enhances transportation and logistics support for key essential supplies, particularly in areas under epidemic‑related lockdowns.

The Notice requires transportation authorities at all levels to strengthen coordination and collaboration with departments such as development and reform, commerce, agriculture and rural affairs, and grain and material reserves. Relying on relevant industry associations, they are to conduct surveys to identify the transportation needs of key enterprises involved in the production and distribution of essential supplies, and to study the establishment of an emergency logistics reserve system that encompasses all modes of transport. With respect to transportation requests for essential supplies submitted by relevant departments and units in epidemic‑affected areas, provincial transportation authorities shall provide support and guidance to their counterparts in those regions, implementing targeted measures to ensure smooth operations, establishing communication and coordination mechanisms, addressing each case individually, and making every effort to guarantee the timely and efficient delivery of essential supplies, thereby fully meeting the daily needs of residents, particularly in areas under lockdown.

The Notice states that, with respect to transport vehicles and their drivers and crew carrying essential daily necessities originating from or transiting through areas where the epidemic has occurred, transportation authorities at all levels shall adhere to… Balancing “ensuring safety” with “guaranteeing supply,” we will strictly enforce epidemic prevention and control measures, implement end-to-end “point-to-point” closed-loop transportation, and ensure “closed‑loop management, no person‑to‑person contact, and rigorous vehicle disinfection” to facilitate smooth passage. For road transport enterprises and drivers and crew members delivering essential supplies into Beijing, we will guide them to promptly monitor and comply with the requirements of the Capital’s Joint Prevention and Control Coordination Mechanism for Strict Entry Management, thereby ensuring unimpeded access for freight vehicles. On the premise of effective epidemic prevention, priority will be given to facilitating the convenient passage of port‑to‑terminal and terminal‑to‑port vehicles transporting grain and other critical daily necessities, as well as to prioritizing the berthing and departure operations of vessels carrying such goods. In addition, transportation authorities at all levels should actively collaborate with departments of development and reform, commerce, public security, and health to study the rational placement of material transshipment and distribution hubs on the outskirts of cities—equipped with functions such as cargo transshipment and storage, vehicle disinfection and parking, and rest and dining facilities—and activate these facilities in a timely manner according to epidemic prevention needs.

The Notice emphasizes that transportation authorities at all levels must urge transport enterprises to strictly adhere to the requirements of the latest versions of various epidemic prevention and control guidelines, ensuring proper protective measures for personnel, disinfection of transport equipment and terminals, and thorough information registration. They must also rigorously carry out disinfection during the transportation of imported cold-chain foods to effectively prevent the spread of COVID‑19 through freight and logistics channels. At the same time, dedicated task forces for traffic control and transport assurance must strengthen their on‑duty arrangements; when a county or urban district is designated as a medium- or high‑risk area, the relevant provincial and neighboring provincial task forces shall promptly make this information public. A 24-hour emergency transportation support hotline is staffed around the clock by dedicated personnel to handle and resolve issues related to the passage of vehicles transporting essential supplies, thereby ensuring smooth and efficient emergency logistics.