Here are today’s leading news stories:

Society

-- A 47-year-old woman in Hanoi was confirmed to have been infected with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on Saturday evening, raising the total number of patients in Vietnam to 258, according to the Ministry of Health.

-- The lockdown of Bach Mai Hospital, the largest COVID-19 cluster in Hanoi, was lifted on Sunday following a 14-day period. The infirmary is expected to resume its operation in early May.

-- A ‘rice ATM’ was put into operation in Hanoi on Saturday to provide support for people affected by the COVID-19 epidemic. A similar one was previously set up in Ho Chi Minh City to help local residents amid the epidemic.

-- The price of Ivermectin 6mg, used to treat parasitic infections of the intestinal tract, skin, and eyes, has recently surged in Vietnam due to rumors it can be used to treat COVID-19.

-- An owner of a coffee shop in the south-central province of Binh Dinh has been arrested for using a machete to threaten members of a local COVID-19 prevention unit after they told him to shut down his venue, as it was serving many customers, going against nationwide social distancing rules.

-- Authorities in Ho Chi Minh City have begun screening workers at local industrial parks and export processing zones for COVID-19 to prevent the spread of the disease.

Business

-- Vietnam’s tea exports in the first quarter of 2020 declined by 2.5 percent in volume and 19 percent in value year-on-year due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

-- The Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade has made a list of 5,000 exporters that need help in finding markets amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

World News

-- The novel coronavirus has infected over 1.77 million people and killed more than 108,700 others around the world, according to statistics. More than 402,000 patients have recovered worldwide.

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