Shippers to halt services in eight HCMC districts

From Aug. 23 to Sept. 6, all shippers who utilize tech apps would need to suspend operations in Thu Duc City, Districts 8, 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon, according to a document issued by the municipal People's Committee on Saturday.

For the rest of Ho Chi Minh City, shippers would only be allowed to operate within one district and cannot travel to others.

On Friday, Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said HCMC would tighten its coronavirus restrictions starting Aug. 23, requiring people to "stay where they are," isolating homes from homes, streets from streets and wards from wards.

It effectively means people are banned from going out.

Covid-19 tests would continue in high-risk areas and so will vaccination. The city will continue to supply its citizens with essential goods and care for them, especially those in poverty, dire circumstances and other vulnerable communities.

The military would deploy its forces and employ help from others to deliver food and medicine to people's doorsteps, Vo Minh Luong, Deputy Minister of National Defense, said Friday.

HCMC, epicenter of Vietnam's fourth coronavirus wave since late April, has recorded 167,717 local Covid-19 cases in the new outbreak so far.

The city of 13 million has undergone a series of social distancing orders, with the latest being extended until Sept. 15. People are also banned from going out between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., except for medical emergencies, etc.

The government wants HCMC to bring the coronavirus situation under control by Sept. 15.