Localities ease restrictions as Covid spread slows

Among those localities are Ba Ria-Vung Tau and Long An, two neighboring provinces of Ho Chi Minh City.

Starting Thursday, all eight towns and districts of Ba Ria-Vung Tau, including the beach town of Vung Tau, imposed Directive 15, apart from areas still under lockdown.

Meanwhile, in Long An, Directive 15 also took effect in all 15 towns and districts from Wednesday.

Directive 15 requires suspension of social events, bans gatherings of 20 people or more in one place and of 10 people or more outside workplaces, schools and hospitals. A minimum distance of two meters between people in public should be ensured.

In both provinces, restaurants and eateries are allowed to resume operation but must only serve takeaways.

Previously, the two provinces had imposed Directive 16, the most stringent social distancing rule in Vietnam that bans all from leaving their houses except for "essential purposes."

From Thursday, Dong Thap Province in the Mekong Delta will also switch from Directive 16 to 15.

In the delta's Tien Giang Province, Chau Thanh is the only district left imposing Directive 16, with the entire province placed under Directive 15 since Monday.

Central Khanh Hoa Province, home to Nha Trang beach town, will reopen grocery stores, hair salons, and vehicle washing services from Friday after nearly three months of suspension.

The beach of Nha Trang Town in Khanh Hoa Province is left deserted as the province imposes stringent social distancing rule in July, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Xuan Ngoc

People are also allowed to go out to exercise in parks, on tennis courts and the beach, as long as they ensure a safe distance and not gather in crowds.

Vietnam was hit by its fourth Covid-19 wave in late April.

Since then, almost 714,500 community infections have spread to 62 of 63 cities and provinces, leaving only Cao Bang Province in the north infection-free.

Of the cases recorded so far in the wave, 17,746 have died.