HCM City extends social distancing as COVID-19 cases surge

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s busiest and most populous locality, is expected to extend social distancing which was imposed a month ago as the number of newly detected cases has increased considerably these days.


Local residents in high-risk areas use coupons to go shopping in HCM City. (Photo: **********)

Data from the Ministry of Health show the city detected 218 new cases on June 28 and a record high of 726 cases on June 25. So far it has registered nearly 3,500 cases since the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic attacked Vietnam in late April.

Many cases were documented through screening tests at healthcare facilities, and the sources of infection remain unknown, meaning the pathogen is quietly spreading in the community, according to a representative of the HCM City Centre for Disease Control.

During a meeting on June 28, Duong Anh Duc, vice chairman of the local administration, said the city is likely to extend social distancing after the two-week order that was imposed on May 31 and was extended once on June 15 expires on June 29.

This time, the city will be carrying out the order under the municipal administration’s decree No10. It has classified districts and towns as high/medium-risk and risk areas, and measures have been put in place correspondingly.