Da Nang closes all eateries as people flout social distancing rules

The city made the decision on Wednesday night, a day after it had ordered 15 days of Covid-19 social distancing that requires people to stay at home and maintain a distance of at least two meters from each other if they have to come out. It also prohibits public gatherings of more than two people, bans festivals, religious ceremonies and sporting events, and closes "non-essential" businesses like beauty salons, massage parlors, cinemas, and bars.

Food and drink places were allowed to remain open though only sell online or takeout. But many people ignored social distancing and gathered at these places, forcing authorities to close them down.

Da Nang is now Vietnam’s Covid-19 hotspot, having recorded the country’s first case of local transmission in 100 days last Saturday.

Since then the city has identified 33 more cases, many associated with medical centers like Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang Hospital C and the Da Nang Lung Hospital.

Vietnam has had 459 Covid-19 cases, 90 of them active.

Community transmission has occurred in several localities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam and Dak Lak, all cases linked to Da Nang.