Hanoi CDC proposes reopening restaurants, cafes, barber shops

Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of the municipal Center for Disease Control (CDC), said reopened restaurants and indoor food stalls still need to abide by coronavirus prevention measures like not allowing large crowds, keeping distances between people and putting up screens between tables. Sidewalk food stalls are still not allowed, he added.

Outdoor sports and exercise activities should be resumed as long as they do not exceed 20 people at a time, the center proposed.

"We only devise proposals based on our expertise. The municipal People’s Committee would make the final decision," said Tuan, adding the coronavirus situation in Hanoi has largely been put under control, despite infection risks posed by those traveling from coronavirus-hit areas like Ho Chi Minh City or Bac Giang.

Just last week, the Hanoi Department of Health said the municipal People’s Committee would consider relaxing Covid-19 control measures, with the city’s Party unit stating the capital could reopen certain businesses and activities like outdoor sporting activities with 20 people or less.

It has been six days since Hanoi last recorded a Covid-19 community transmission. The capital has reported 465 coronavirus cases so far amid Vietnam’s latest Covid-19 wave, including 148 cases in its locked down hospitals.

To fight the coronavirus, Hanoi had shut down non-essential businesses and services starting April 29, beginning with karaoke parlors and bars, then restaurants and cafes.