Violent COVID Cases, Vietnam's Big Cities Tighten Restrictions

JAKARTA - Vietnam will extend its lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City until August 1 and impose tighter restrictions on the capital Hanoi from Saturday, as the Southeast Asian nation battles its worst wave of COVID-19 infections. successfully containing the virus for most of the pandemic, Vietnam has faced a complicated virus outbreak, with the southern business hub of Ho Chi Minh City and surrounding provinces accounting for most of the new infections. The Ministry of Health recorded a record 7,307 infections as of Friday, July 23, increasing Vietnam's overall caseload. to 81,678. At least 370 people in the country have died from the virus. "Due to the fast and unpredictable nature of the Delta variant and to protect people and minimize deaths, city authorities have decided to strengthen a number of measures to control the outbreak," Ho Chi City's governing body said. Minh said in a statement. The number of services allowed to operate during the lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City will be reduced, the health ministry said, citing Duong Anh Duc, deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City. The current measures, which have been in effect since July 9, include: stay-at-home orders, a ban on gatherings larger than two people and the suspension of public transportation services. Banking and securities services in Ho Chi Minh City will be reduced to a minimal level, while unnecessary construction projects will be suspended, the ministry said in a statement.

A week-long spraying of disinfectants in high-risk COVID-19 areas has also begun, he added. Hanoi will impose similar strict measures for 15 days starting Saturday morning, authorities in the capital said on Friday evening, following a wave of new infections over the past few days, including 48 cases as of Friday. "The risk of the disease spreading in the city is very high, requiring strict measures to prevent it," Chu Ngoc Anh, chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, said in a statement. Hanoi, which has recorded more than 600 COVID-19 infections since late April , had advised people to stay indoors and closed cafes and restaurants earlier this month. Nationwide, Vietnam has imposed movement restrictions in about a third of its 63 cities and provinces since the outbreak began in late April. Ho Chi Minh City, which accounts for about 60 percent of the total cases, has asked the Vietnamese prime minister to send more personnel to help fight w the current situation, the health ministry said on Facebook on Friday. Vietnam, which relies heavily on the AstraZeneca vaccine, is trying to speed up its inoculation program. Vietnam has so far received more than 10.2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. About 4.4 million doses have been administered in the country, but fewer than 335,000 people have been fully vaccinated, official data show.