At 5 a.m. Saturday, travelers submit health declarations before entering Hanoi at Phap Van - Cau Gie toll station, located in the southern part of the capital. This was the busiest entry gate to the city before the pandemic.'
Hanoi has imposed a 15-day social distancing campaign starting 6 a.m. Saturday as part of efforts to curb the spread of Covid-19.
The capital city’s chairman Chu Ngoc Anh said the citywide order is being issued under Directive 16, which comprises the country’s most stringent social distancing regulations, requiring residents to stay at home and only go out for basic necessities such as buying food or medicines or to work at factories or businesses that are allowed to open.
People pass through Thuong Tin District to exit the city before the social distancing campaign goes into effect.
A crossroad on Thang Long Highway stands idle. This spot used to carry a lot of traffic before the outbreak.
Workers from a nearby construction site pass the corner of Trang Tien - Hang Bai - Trang Thi streets.
On Hang Duong Street, Dong Xuan Market has been shut down for the last few days since many goods sold here are not considered essentials.
Amid the semi-lockdown, trade centers, supermarkets, traditional markets and wholesale markets in the locality shall only sell essential items. Funerals cannot gather more than 20 people.
The majority of public transportation will be shut down and there will be no travel to other localities.
A market in Yen Thai Alley of Hoan Kiem District is packed with shoppers. Local authorities had to install barriers and keep reminding people to follow social distancing rules.
Local police tell a couple to return home after venturing out for unessential reasons.
The 15-day social distancing campaign became inevitable after the city recorded many new cases without clear sources of transmission. On Friday there were 70 infections, the highest daily tally since the latest wave began in late April.
The city has had 884 cases so far.
