Hanoi closes restaurants, salons as Covid-19 threat mounts

A document issued Monday by Hanoi’s Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh says food and beverage places can only allow takeaways and residents must "absolutely stop entertainment activities, physical exercises and large gatherings in parks, gardens and public locations."

It asks the municipal tourism department to re-check all quarantine zones in hotels and residences. All facilities found unqualified to quarantine people must stop receiving new people, and existing zones in hotels and residences in downtown districts would gradually receive fewer people before stopping completely.

People returning to Hanoi from other localities starting Tuesday must submit medical declarations within 24 hours. Those who returned to the city between May 10 and May 24 should also do so by Tuesday.

Vingroup, T&T Group and other businesses are requested to test employees and residents living on their premises for Covid-19.

The latest decision follows the formation of several Covid-19 clusters associated with either the T&T Company or buildings in Times City, which is owned by Vingroup.

In the latest wave, the capital city has recorded 122 local Covid-19 cases in 19 districts, apart from 200 cases within two locked down hospitals in the city: the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the K Hospital.

The administration has already shut down non-essential services like bars and dance clubs.

Also on Monday, Covid-19 hotspot Bac Ninh, has requested citizens in Que Vo, Yen Phong, Thuan Thanh districts and Bac Ninh Town to stay home after 8 p.m. and refrain from going out for non-essential purposes.

The northern province now has 505 local Covid-19 cases in the new wave, the second-highest number of cases out of all Vietnamese localities after its neighbor Bac Giang.