Hanoi has allowed bars and karaoke parlors to reopen and plans to resume weekend activities in its pedestrian zone as the Vietnamese capital city has gone 28 days without any locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19.

The decision was announced at the virtual meeting of the city’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on Tuesday afternoon

“The city agrees to allow bars, karaoke parlors, and discos to resume operations starting 0:00 am Wednesday,” said the city’s vice-chairman Ngo Van Quy.

Quy, however, urged authorities and residents to continue staying vigilant as the risk of recurrent outbreaks of COVID-19 still remains.

The aforementioned entertainment venues had been shuttered since August 1 as the city battled a new wave of cases related to an outbreak in the central city of Da Nang.

They must still comply with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations after reopening, including requiring staff to wear face masks at work and customers to fulfill basic hygiene and hand sanitation requirements, Quy said.

He also agreed with the proposal from Hoan Kiem District’s authorities to allow the pedestrian zone around downtown Hoan Kiem Lake to reopen starting Friday.

Hanoi suspended weekend activities in the pedestrian zone starting from August 21 to avoid large gatherings in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The capital has reported 158 cases of COVID-19, including 13 infections since July 25, when Vietnam detected the first community-based transmission in Da Nang.

One-hundred and 52 patients in Hanoi have recovered and none have died due to COVID-19.

The national COVID-19 tally stood at 1,063 cases, with 931 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths, as of Wednesday morning, according to the Ministry of Health.

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