HCMC closes most service establishments, walking streets

It will also limit public gatherings and close homestay and Airbnb services, the municipal People’s Committee announced Thursday afternoon.

The decision was taken after the latest outbreak of 36 cases since Wednesday, stemming from a religious mission.

Apart from the closure of most service establishments, all gatherings of more than 10 people for outdoor sports and physical exercises are also prohibited until further notice.

Families selling food and beverages on the street can only offer takeaways. Vendors must wear masks and abide by other coronavirus prevention measures while interacting with customers. Restaurants inside hotels can only serve residents with people placed two meters apart and not more than 20 people permitted at the same time.

All religious activities with 10 people or above at places of worship and other institutions are also suspended. People are requested not to go out for non-essential purposes, and no large gatherings are allowed outside of offices, schools and hospitals. People must stay at least two meters apart from each other in public.

HCMC had already shut down several non-essential services like massage parlors, dance clubs, movie theaters, bars and gyms.

The city has recorded 44 Covid-19 cases in the past month, 36 of them associated with a cluster linked to the Revival Ekklesia Mission, a Christian congregation. The cluster was unearthed Wednesday after three of the mission’s members went to the Gia Dinh Hospital in Binh Thanh District with respiratory problems. Tests showed they were positive for the novel coronavirus.

The city recorded a suspected Covid case Thursday evening, a 30-year-old woman in Tan Phu District who tested positive for the novel coronavirus after visiting a hospital with respiratory conditions. Initial investigation found she is not linked to the religious mission.