HCMC - Apart from asking residents to stay at home and only go out for essential purposes, Hanoi City has banned gatherings of over five persons in public places and wedding parties, starting from today, July 19.

The decision was made after the city detected several Covid-19 cases in many districts, reporting some 60 Covid-19 infections between July 17 and 18, the local media reported. Residents should only leave their homes to go to work or buy food and medicines or in urgent cases such as an emergency, medical checkups, fire and natural disasters, according to a telegram signed by Hanoi Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh on July 18. Besides, residents were encouraged to shop online to minimize the risk of Covid-19 infection. All non-essential services and activities have been suspended, while factories, production facilities, construction projects and suppliers of essential goods such as food, medicines and fuels remain operational. In addition, eateries and restaurants are only allowed to offer takeaway services. Aside from the ban on wedding parties, the municipal government ordered funerals not to gather more than 30 persons. The Hanoi government also asked agencies, State firms, private enterprises and corporations to allow 50% of their employees to work from home and in shifts. Commercial centers, supermarkets and markets were told to sell only essential goods, ensure a sufficient supply of food and limit the number of buyers at a time to stop the spread of Covid-19.