The number of furloughed and laid-off hospitality workers exceeded 20,000 in Ho Chi Minh City in the first quarter of this year, according to a report released this week.

The municipal Department of Tourism unveiled the report on Monday, assessing the impacts of novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on the tourist industry in the city.  

Among the 28,000 people working for lodging facilities in Ho Chi Minh City, 19,587 were furloughed while 830 were laid off, the report said.

The rest take turns to work during the week with a low performance.

The tourist industry in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam at large has almost stalled since the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 as a pandemic on March 11, the tourism department said.

The city suffered a dramatic 42.5 percent drop in revenue and a 26 percent plunge in the number of international arrivals in Q1.

Travel firms reported a year-on-year decrease of 50-60 percent in sales and visitors in January-February.

For some companies, the decrease widened to 95-100 percent in March.

Lodging facilities have reported a 58 percent slip in turnover while convention centers and catering service providers have announced a 60 percent plunge in revenue.

Ninety percent of small- and medium-sized travel companies have suspended operations, with some major private firms and state-owned ones maintaining minimal activity.

Vietnam has confirmed 268 COVID-19 cases, 171 of them having recovered.

No virus-related fatality has been reported in the Southeast Asian country.

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