Authorities in Hanoi have announced the reopening of local bars, karaoke parlors, and online game centers following a ban that lasted for nearly a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bars, discos, karaoke shops, and online game centers in the capital city are permitted to reopen from Friday, Truong Viet Dung, head of the Office of the municipal People’s Committee, said during a meeting on socio-economic development on Wednesday afternoon.

The administration advised people with symptoms such as cough, fever, and difficulty breathing against going to these venues.

Businesses that offer such services must take pandemic prevention measures during their operations.

Owners of bars and karaoke parlors in the city recently complained that they were left behind as they were still not allowed to reopen while most non-essential businesses had already resumed operation.

Municipal authorities had shut down local bars, discos, karaoke parlors, and online game centers since April 30 last year due to the serious fourth COVID-19 outbreak, which hit the country on April 27 the same year.

Hanoi has recorded more than 1.5 million local infections in this bout.

The city’s daily count declined sharply from more than 32,000 cases on March 7 to just above 4,000 on April 6.

During a meeting on Wednesday morning, chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh stated that Hanoi has passed the peak of the COVID-19 outbreak.

About 99.5 percent of people aged 12 and over in the capital city have been vaccinated, the official added.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!