The administration in Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City has ordered the closure of all wet markets for two weeks as part of its bid to contain the spread of COVID-19.

The shutdown began on Thursday and will last until midnight on July 14, Nguyen Minh Nhut, chairman of the Binh Tan People’s Committee, said during a meeting on Wednesday.

Supermarkets and convenient stores in the district are still allowed to operate.

As of Wednesday evening, Binh Tan District had detected 711 coronavirus cases in the community. 

Local authorities say the risk of transmission at local wet markets is very high.

Chairman Nhut requested that the administrations in 10 of the district’s wards conduct regular patrols to ensure the shutdown order is complied with.

Certain measures must also been taken to ensure pandemic prevention and control regulations are strictly followed.

Authorities in the district will continue exerting their best efforts to conduct COVID-19 testing on all residents.

Vietnam has documented 17,052 COVID-19 cases as of Thursday morning, with 6,840 recoveries and 81 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has recorded 13,684 local infections in 50 provinces and cities, including 3,998 cases in Ho Chi Minh City, since a new wave broke out on April 27.

Binh Tan District, along with District 8, Hoc Mon District, Binh Chanh District, and Tan Phu District, has the highest risk in the southern metropolis.

By the end of Tuesday, 70 out of 234 markets in the city had been closed for being linked to COVID-19 cases or failing to meet requirements on pandemic prevention and control, according to Bui Ta Hoang Vu, director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade.

The city’s administration imposed Directive No.10 from June 19 to enforce stricter measures including limiting public gatherings to three, closing unofficial markets, and suspending public transport.

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