State employees working in Hanoi who want to go out of the capital city during public holidays or weekends, must be permitted by their superiors and make a medical declaration when returning, said authorities of the Hanoi People's Committee.

The move came as Vietnam is struggling the fourth wave of the Covid-19 outbreak, in which the city's neighboring provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh are hotspots with the highest numbers of infections nationwide, 1,481 and 560, respectively. 

The city has set up four Covid-19 checkpoints in Soc Son district bordering between Hanoi and the two provinces.

On duty at the checkpoints is a cross-functional team comprising personnel from the police, the militia, and health workers, who work 24 hours to measure body temperature, take medical declarations of the people moving between the two localities.

Hanoi has so far reported 335 cases in the new Covid-19 wave. Of these, 137 have been detected in two hospitals under lockdown, including the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and the K Hospital that specializes in cancer treatment.

The managing director of Hosiden Vietnam Co. Ltd in Bac Giang who was confirmed last Friday positive for coronavirus lives in the Mandarin Garden residential area in Hanoi’s Cau Giay district.  

A driver working for the city-based Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam, who lives in Bac Ninh, was confirmed with Covid-19 two days ago. His three relatives residing in Hanoi have contracted the virus.

Health workers test Covid-19 for local residents in Hanoi. Photo: Dang Anh

Hanoi has had 17 different samples of Covid-19 patients at four new clusters in the past few days. All have been confirmed to be infected with the Indian strain B.1.617.2, which is said to spread faster and pose more danger than other strains, said Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of Hanoi’s Department of Health.

Hanh said the source of transmission is in the community and the risk is high for the city, adding that more stringent measures are needed to stop the spread of virus infections.

The city has ordered food and beverage establishments as well as hair salons and beauty parlors closed, starting May 25. Local residents have already stopped their entertainment activities, outdoor physical exercises and large gatherings in parks, gardens and public locations.

Hanoi Party chief Dinh Tien Dung said on May 25 that a citywide social distancing order is not under consideration yet. For now, the city will continue the method of isolating only affected areas.