Hanoi officers booked a total of 1,237 violations of coronavirus safety rules and collected  VND1.9 billion (US$83,375) in fines from 3:00 pm on Tuesday to 3:00 pm on Wednesday, according to the city's Department of Information and Communications.

Of these, 1,127 were fined for unauthorized outdoor travels, while the others were fined for failing to don face masks in public, the municipal information authority reported. 

As of 3:00 pm on Wednesday, local forces had imposed nearly VND50 billion (US$2.2 million) worth of fines on over 33,000 violations regarding pandemic prevention rules since stringent movement curbs were implemented on July 25.

Out of those cases, 26,718 were booked for unnecessary outdoor travels, 2,897 were penalized for failure to wear face masks in public, while the others were sanctioned for discarding used masks in wrong places or breaking safe distancing rules. 

Over 30,000 cases were fined, whereas six cases were transferred to police for criminal charging. 

Officers also handled hundreds of cases where non-essential businesses flouted shutdown orders in areas at high risk of infection, or where individuals refused to take COVID-19 tests when required by authorities. 

Traffic on Hanoi streets is still crowded at times, while the number of epidemic safety rule breaches is on the rise. 

The capital has recorded 3,005 local infections since the fourth virus wave hit the country on April 27.

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