Eateries in Da Nang are closing again after having offered dine-in service for only a few days, as authorities have restarted several COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

On Sunday afternoon, staff members of local restaurants, diners, and cafés put away tables and chairs to prepare for another suspension of sit-down service.

N.T.K., owner of a coffee shop, said he finished serving his last customers at 11:30 am the same day.

The store started offering sit-down service about 10 days ago, but business has been quite slow.

The situation was just about to improve when the city reinstated the ban, K. said.

“Prior to the reopening, we had to sell takeaway drinks, but the income was not very promising,” he continued.

“I understand that the pandemic is dangerous, but I may have to stop operating and return the space if this situation persists.”

Tran Van Thao, who owns a restaurant on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street, said he had recently spent tens of millions of dong (VND10 million = US$433) on fresh seafood and other ingredients to serve dine-in customers.

“I may have to resell the foods to local markets before they become spoiled,” Thao elaborated.

“Business owners like me can only hope mass inoculation to be rolled out soon so that the economy can recover.”

Da Nang authorities allowed the resumption of sit-down service in eateries and coffee shops from June 9, after the city had not recorded a single community coronavirus case for 21 days.

However, the ban was reinstated from Sunday afternoon following the detection of a new outbreak.

The source of infection is believed to be patient No. 12,190, a driver from Ho Chi Minh City, a major coronavirus site with over 1,500 domestic cases now.

The driver transported goods from the southern city to a plastics factory in Da Nang on the early morning of June 10.

He passed a COVID-19 checkpoint at a Da Nang gateway but no one was on duty at the time.

He returned to Ho Chi Minh City later the same day and tested positive for COVID-19 on June 15.

A security guard of the plastics factory, who came into direct contact with the driver, was confirmed positive for the pathogen on Friday.

About 32 people traced to the guard had tested positive as of Sunday morning.

Vietnam has documented 13,117 COVID-19 cases as of Sunday afternoon, with 5,054 recoveries and 66 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has recorded 9,850 local infections in 42 out of its 63 provinces and cities, including 182 cases in Da Nang, since April 27, when a fresh outbreak hit the nation.

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