The Archdiocese of Ho Chi Minh City has announced the suspension of all of its community activities due to increasingly complicated developments of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic.

The suspension started on Friday and will last until further notice, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

During this period, all local Catholics are exempt from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Starting August 1, masses will be broadcast live for those who wish to attend remotely.

The number of priests in charge of organizing daily ceremonies must not exceed 30 and must keep at least two meters from each other, the archdiocese said in a statement.

All people must wear face masks and sanitize their hands when going to local churches and chapels. These venues must be regularly disinfected.

Church members who have symptoms of respiratory disease or have recently returned from COVID-19-hit localities must practice home quarantine, it said.

Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally sits at 509, with 373 recoveries and one death as of Friday afternoon.

The country has recorded 93 community-based cases, all traced back to the central city of Da Nang, since Saturday last week, according to a Tuoi Tre News count.

Among the new wave of cases, two were diagnosed in Ho Chi Minh City.

The municipal administration previously ordered bars and discos to shut down from Friday until further notice amid new COVID-19 developments.

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