Hanoi will prolong its coronavirus social distancing measures until August 22, following the recent detection of new infections in the Vietnamese capital city.

The municipal Party Committee has come to unanimity on this extension, Nguyen Thi Tuyen, permanent deputy secretary of the committee, said on Friday.

“Hanoi will apply 15 more days of restrictions under the prime minister’s Directive No. 16 to ensure the best prevention and control of the pandemic,” the Party official said.

The city has been applying 15-day social distancing measures since July 24 under a decision of local authorities and such restrictions were scheduled to end on Sunday.

As many cases have recently been found in the community, the local Party Committee has reached consensus on extending the current social distancing period until August 22. 

Directive No. 16 includes the closure of non-essential businesses and services, a stay-home order, a ban on gatherings larger than two people, a minimum two-meter distance between people, and the suspension of public transport.

Residents are completely prohibited from going out, except for seeking medical treatment and buying food at designated points.

As one of the efforts to contain the coronavirus spread, Hanoi has conducted its fifth coronavirus vaccination drive since July 27 with a target of around 200,000 injections per day.

The numbers of people receiving the first and second vaccine doses in Hanoi, which has over eight million residents, have reached around 1.1 million and 73,800, respectively, the Ministry of Health reported on Friday.

The municipal Center for Disease Control recorded 21 new COVID-19 cases the same day, including seven in the community and 14 in quarantine facilities.

The latest figure has taken the capital city’s tally to 2,069, including 25 deaths, as recorded since early 2020, when the pandemic hit the country.

Nationwide, the number of COVID-19 cases has amounted to 189,066, including 58,040 recoveries and 2,720 deaths, the ministry’s data shows.

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