HCMC - The lack of tourists has forced some 1,000 hotels and seven tourist destinations in Dalat City in Lam Dong Province to shut down, although no Covid-19 cases have been detected in the city in the current fourth wave of the coronavirus, which began on April 27.

While these hotels, including large ones, are suspending their operations, only some in the Tuyen Lam tourist area remain operational to mainly serve families for 7-10 days, according to the Lam Dong Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The city has seen room occupancy rates reach 6%-7%, while almost all hotels in Dalat City are expected to close by next week. Nguyen Duc Thuan, director of the provincial department, said that as several neighboring provinces had reported Covid-19 cases, the risk of Covid-19 infection, mainly from tourists arriving from these provinces, was high. As the disease is raging in other parts of the country, Dang Tri Dung, vice chairman of the Lam Dong government, on June 26 issued an urgent dispatch to the districts, cities, the departments and agencies asking them to strengthen anti-Covid-19 measures. Following the dispatch, Dalat City suspended many non-essential services and activities such as bars, karaoke and massage parlors, night clubs, game shops, cinemas, night markets, sporting and cultural events and weddings and birthday parties from June 27. The city also banned mass gatherings at public places, including squares, parks and lakes, until further notice, the local media reported. Lam Dong Province also suspended some services such as beauty salons, spas and sporting clubs, while asking restaurants and eateries not to serve more than 20 guests at a time to prevent the risk of Covid-19 community transmission.