Jul 23, 2021 / 21:40

Ho Chi Minh City extends partial lockdown until August 1

The city will tighten its restrictions to stamp out the novel coronavirus transmission.

Vietnam’s southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) will extend the current partial lockdown for one more week until August 1 with stricter restrictions.

Deputy Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc at a meeting on July 23. Photo: HCMC Press Center

Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Duong Anh Duc said Friday afternoon that the move is aimed to prevent new outbreaks and focus on treating patients, especially those of critical conditions to minimize fatalities.

This is the fifth time the HCMC has enhanced social distancing measures since the new outbreak occurred in April.

Based on the pandemic evolution in different parts, the local authorities will impose stricter measures than those stipulated in Directive 16, which applies the highest levels of restriction in Vietnam including shelter-in-place order, according to the decision signed by the Secretary of the municipal Party’s Committee, Nguyen Van Nen.

After two weeks of the partial lockdown (starting from July 9), the situation has not been effective as expected. The number of infections in the most populous city accounts for 61% of the country’s total 75,000 cases, leaving a huge burden on the healthcare system.

At a Covid-19 checkpoint in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: VGP

The extended restrictions require:

(1) People in very high-risk areas remain indoors, receiving essential goods from the authorities.

(2) People in centralized quarantine to stay in the room without making contact with others.
(3) People in other parts to thoroughly follow stay-at-home orders, except for emergencies and purchase of essential goods.

It also requires:

(1) Suspension of non-urgent construction, and traffic projects.
(2) Operations of banks and securities companies with limited personnel.
(3) Normal operations of businesses in essential services like healthcare; pharmaceuticals; food and foodstuff; providing meals for hospitals, quarantine and treatment facilities; electricity, water, gas, postal, telecommunications, public sanitation, and transportation of essential goods; state treasury, funeral services, among others.

It allows:

(1) Manufacturing enterprises to operate if they strictly following the “3 on-site principles” (on-site production, on-site eating, on-site rest) and “one route, two destinations” order (the only route from workplace to dorms). Companies infringing on the regulations will be stopped from operating and strictly handled.

(2) Wet markets to work at 30% of the capacity with limited sellers and buyers who must closely follow precautionary measures to minimize contacts.

(3) State agencies to work one shift per day or alternate days. Officials and employees strictly abide by Directive 16, they should not go out unless it is for urgent business.

Accordingly, only official cars, goods trucks with QR codes, military vehicles serving the anti-pandemic work, and buses bring people back to their hometowns as planned are eligible to cross the checkpoints to go in and out of the city.

For those reasons, violators of the restrictions will be strictly punished.

On July 9, HCMC imposed the 15-day partial lockdown. It has banned the operations of public means of transport, coach, traditional and ride-hailing motorbike taxi, and takeaway services.

After the restrictions, Covid-19 infections continue to surge, hitting nearly more than 50,000.