Ho Chi Minh City authorities lifted a ban on discos and karaoke lounges on Thursday afternoon, allowing them to reopen following a three-month closedown over COVID-19.

The operators of these services are required to take preventative measures like fumigating surfaces and providing sanitizers for customers to wash their hands when they resume operations, the municipal People’s Committee said in a document issued on Thursday afternoon.  

The commitee also asked that police crack down on any illegal activity, such as drug use, that may happen in places that offer the services.

The city’s chairman was quoted as ordering in the document that local administrations strictly follow Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s instructions on COVID-19 prevention and control, keeping a close watch on the novel coronavirus.

The chairman required the Department of Health to cooperate with relevant agencies in continuing quarantining those entering Vietnam from foreign countries in order to stem the community spread of the virus.

On May 7, PM Phuc signed a decision to allow non-essential businesses like cinemas and performing arts venues to reopen after the country had implemented enhanced social distancing measures to curb COVID-19 from April 1 to 22.

However, discos and karaoke parlors were not included in the list of businesses permitted to come back on stream then, at a time when the virus might resurge any time at these venues.

Ho Chi Minh City ordered a series of businesses, including discos and karaoke parlors, to close down from March 15, when Vietnam was at the peak of the pandemic, so as to curb COVID-19.

The committee gave the green light for most businesses to reopen on May 9, except for discos and karaoke lounges.

Vietnam has recorded 332 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday night, with 321 having recovered and no death, according to the Ministry of Health.

The Southeast Asian nation has documented no community-based infections for nearly two months.

The government is considering the resumption of commercial flights between Vietnam and ‘safe regions’ where there have been no new cases of COVID-19 for at least 30 days.

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