The operation of app-based delivery service will be halted in Thu Duc City and seven districts in Ho Chi Minh City for 15 days starting Monday, heard a press conference on pandemic prevention and control on Saturday afternoon.

The seven districts include District 8, District 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh, and Hoc Mon.

The suspension will be in place until the end of September 6.

Delivery workers in other districts in the city can remain active, but they will be restricted to one district only.

At the meeting, Pham Duc Hai, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, affirmed that the city will not be placed under lockdown in the next two weeks.

City authorities will also not declare a state of emergency, which must be announced by either the National Assembly Standing Committee or the State President, according to the Vietnamese law.

Hai assured that the mobilization of the military into the pandemic prevention and control mission is not new because it has been done before.

The participation of the military does not imply “something wrong,” the official explained.

The municipal authorities are preparing more medical forces, police, military, civil servants, volunteers, and medical equipment only to beef up pandemic prevention and control measures given a spike in fatalities and infections in the city, according to Hai.

The escalation is needed as city residents have yet to strictly follow the social distancing regulations, he said.

The mobilized personnel will also assist in delivering food to citizens in the next two weeks.

Officials attend a press conference on pandemic prevention and control in Ho Chi Minh City, August 21, 2021. Photo: Thao Le / Tuoi Tre

Regarding food supply, Hai said that in the green and yellow zones, people are allowed to go out for shopping once a week while needy residents will be given food for free.

In the orange and red zones, functional forces will help with food shopping, the payment of which will be made by the residents, whereas poverty-stricken people will receive food aid.

City authorities have categorized areas into red, orange, yellow, and green zones, with the warmer colors representing more serious levels of infections.

The neighborhood leaders will act as a contact point for food demand.

Citizens can also call 1022 and press 2 for food support.

The Fatherland Front and a group of SOS teams will also give out many support packages for local people.

The municipal authorities have asked people to stay where they are starting Monday through September 6, with the motto of “each home, company, factory should be an anti-virus fort.”

As of Saturday afternoon, Vietnam has documented 323,268 COVID-19 cases, with 132,815 recoveries and 7,540 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has detected 319,209 domestic transmissions in 62 out of 63 provinces and cities in this fourth bout.

Ho Chi Minh City is taking the lead with 167,717 patients and 5,939 fatalities.

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