Authorities in Hanoi have allowed local restaurants and cafés to reopen as the latest wave of COVID-19 infections had subsided, but strict prevention and control measures will have to be taken at these venues.

Vice-chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung announced at a meeting on Monday that all eateries and coffee shops with indoor services would be permitted to resume operations from 0:00 on Tuesday.

Partitions must be installed or a minimum distance of one meter must be kept between each person.

Other COVID-19 prevention and control measures will also have to be taken seriously.

The municipal administration also encouraged these venues to focus on takeaway services as the safest option.

Discos, bars, karaoke parlors, online game centers, and roadside eateries and cafés will remain shuttered until further notice, according to vice-chairman Dung.

Due to the complicated development of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hanoi authorities previously shut down all karaoke shops, bars, and discos from February 1.

Eateries and coffee shops were closed from February 16.

According to Tran Thi Nha Ha, director of the Hanoi Department of Health, the city has not documented any local infections since February 16.

The pandemic situation in the capital has been put under control, Ha continued, adding that all 51,000 samples of people arriving from northern Hai Duong Province, the country’s current epicenter, have tested negative for the novel coronavirus.

The risk of virus spread in the community is still high as all students and learners would resume their normal classes from Tuesday, she stated.

All residents are advised to strictly comply with the five rules of COVID-19 prevention and control, namely wearing face masks, disinfecting, keeping safe distance, avoiding large gatherings, and filling out health declaration forms.

Vietnam has logged 2,472 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning, with 1,892 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 868 community-based infections have been recorded in 13 provinces and cities since January 27.

Among them, 35 were detected in Hanoi, while the majority of the cases were documented in Hai Duong.

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