Hoi An City in Quang Nam Province, central Vietnam, will uphold the prime minister’s Directive No. 16, which orders all citizens to stay at home unless for essential duties, from 6:00 am on Saturday to respond to rising COVID-19 cases.

The direction was mentioned in an official statement issued by the Hoi An People’s Committee on Friday. 

The city would amp up monitoring and punitive measures to ensure public obedience to Directive No. 16, which mandates a ban on non-essential travels and gatherings, according to the statement.

Public offices as well as private firms should consider rolling out 'three-on-the-spot,' or stay-at-work, mechanisms, in which employees must conduct production, have meals, and rest after work at the same place to maintain manufacturing while ensuring epidemic safety.

Otherwise, they should send the workers home, utilizing online conference tools, as well as planning the shifts and mobilizing employees properly.

Local residents are advised to stay calm and adjust their daily routines accordingly to help with the city’s COVID-19 combat. 

Instead of panic hoarding, they should stock up a reasonable quantity of food that can sustain their households in three to five days, as all residents will have still access to grocery via market entrance passes and delivery services.

The stringent Directive No. 16 has been effective in several locales of the city, including Tan An Ward, Thanh Ha Ward and Trang Suoi Village, since 12:00 pm on Monday, while the rest of the city was put under the less rigid Directive No. 15, which orders closure of non-essential businesses and public gatherings, at the same time. 

In the past six days, the central city has recorded over 25 COVID-19 cases, a considerable number of which have been detected in the community.

Thanh Ha Fish Market in Thanh Ha Ward has emerged as a major outbreak site, which prompted local authorities to shut the premises down and launched mass coronavirus screening on hundreds of sellers since Wednesday.

With 10 new cases logged on Friday morning, the Quang Nam Department of Health has reported a total of 125 infections since April 27, when the fourth wave of coronavirus transmissions starts wreaking havoc in Vietnam. 

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