Hanoi to aid informal workers affected by pandemic

Many lost their livelihoods after being sent to quarantine or just because they live in areas that have been locked down to curb the pandemic's spread.

Specifically, they are employees at discos, bars, beer clubs, karaoke parlors, massage parlors, movie theaters and internet cafes, street-side coffee shops, people working at eateries around the K Hospital and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases which went under lockdown in May.

The beneficiaries also include barbers, hairdressers, and those who lost their job at restaurants after the city banned all dine-in services and allow them to serve takeaways only.

Since April 30 the city has on seven different occasions closed down non-essential business establishments like bars, karaoke and massage parlors, cinemas, restaurants, gyms, cafes, and barber shops.

It has recorded 823 Covid cases in the ongoing wave.

In the last week new clusters have emerged across the city and authorities have warned of more infections soon.

On July 1 the Vietnamese government announced pandemic relief of VND26 trillion ($1.13 billion) following an earlier package of VND62 trillion ($2.6 billion) last year targeted at poor people and businesses affected by Covid-19.