Due to the escalating risk of community transmission, Saigon authorities just decided to shut down more venues to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Last weekend, Ho Chi Minh City authorities announced that all cinemas, bars and nightclubs within the city would need to close until the end of March. Similar measures were also adopted by Hanoi, Da Nang and Ninh Thuan. At the time, the number of coronavirus infections in Vietnam was 53, with 16 recoveries. The cases have since doubled a week later.
Now, municipal officials have extended the closure order to all entertainment centers, restaurants, beer clubs and eateries with a capacity of more than 30 patrons. Additionally, all gyms, pool halls, beauty parlors and barbershops will also need to temporarily shut down, according to Tuoi Tre.
The order is effective from 6pm today, March 24, until the end of March 31.
Ho Chi Minh City currently houses 13 million residents, with 30 confirmed cases of Covid-19 as of March 24 and three recoveries. The city’s quarantine facilities are also handling some 8,500 people, mostly overseas Vietnamese who returned on recent flights, as Vietnam requires that all arrivals must undergo two weeks of isolation.
