After Đà Nẵng, Hội An is the second city in Việt Nam to bring back social distancing measures after July’s coronavirus outbreak.
This morning, July 30, Quảng Nam authorities approved the new decision to re-enact Directive 16 on social distancing in Hội An, starting from 12am on July 31 until August 14, reports VnExpress. Directive 16 was put in place back in April when Việt Nam went threw the worst days of the second wave of COVID-19 infections.
Under the directive, residents are urged to stay home and only go outside to buy groceries, medicines and other necessities. When outside, people must wear face masks, wash hands frequently with soap or hand-sanitizing solutions, and keep a distance of at least two meters during interactions. Gatherings of over two people in public places are banned.
Hội An currently has one confirmed case of COVID-19 in July, Case 428 — though the patient tested positive and is currently undergoing treatment in Đà Nẵng. There are also 11 F1 individuals, meaning people who have had direct contact with confirmed cases.
Quảng Nam Province as a whole has 616 people with connections to the three hospitals in Đà Nãng where COVID-19 cases were discovered, and 169 others who visited a wedding hall in Đà Nẵng during the same period as one confirmed case. Their biological samples are being tested for the virus at the moment.
Vice Chairman of the Quảng Nam People’s Committee Trần Văn Tân recently ordered all crowded public events involving more than 20 people in the province to be canceled. Non-essential businesses are also required to close, including amusement parks, bars, internet cafés, nightclubs, karaoke and massage parlors, theaters, and others.
Tân told Zing that the reason behind the decision to restrict Hội An and Quảng Nam is because many people from Đà Nẵng rushed to Quảng Nam to avoid the outbreak, placing immense pressure on the province’s anti-Covid efforts. Additionally, Quảng Nam has established road checkpoints to monitor inter-city movements.
In Đà Nẵng, city officials have similarly upped cautionary measures. Last night, the municipal People’s Committee announced the temporary closure of all restaurants and cafés in the city from 1pm on July 30. This includes online and takeaway services, which were previously allowed. According to VnExpress, the heightened restrictions were imposed because some citizens ignored social distancing rules and continued to gather at eateries.
Minister Mai Tiến Dũng said during an interview with VnExpress that there isn’t a need at the moment for social distancing in Hà Nội and Sài Gòn. Dũng opined that in the immediate future, the two cities will only lock down places which confirmed cases visited. Outside of the high-risk places, people should continue conducting business and going about their daily activities while following public health measures.
[Photo: A Buddhist nun walking on the street in Hội An while wearing face mask.]
