Hanoi will impose hefty fines for failing to wear face masks in public, according to a document written by Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung.

The public places include hospitals, parking lots, public areas, wet markets, supermarkets and shopping malls.

People flouting face mask rules will be fined in Hanoi. Photo: Van Hue

Mr. Dung asked the functional forces to strictly supervise the compliance of masking rules in public places, especially the five above-mentioned locations.

"Over the past time, people’s compliance of masking regulation at crowded places in Hanoi is good, but still has not met the city's requirements. If people lower their guard in preventing Covid-19, it will likely lead to the spread of the pandemic in the community and neutralize the city's pandemic prevention and control efforts," Mr. Dung said.

Operators of tourist attractions, supermarkets, apartment buildings, bus stations, among other public places must be responsible for inspecting and strictly enforcing the regulation on donning of face masks.

Besides, the municipal government’s document stipulates fines for a number of other violations related to Covid-19 prevention and control.

Hanoi has gone nearly five months without detecting any new cases of Covid-19 in the community since August 17. However, according to experts, the risk of a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic is latent, so staying vigilant is a must, as cold and dry winter conditions favor the transmission of the virus.

As of January 13, Vietnam has recorded 1,520 Covid-19 cases, according to Ministry of Health statistics. Among them, 1,361 have recovered and been discharged from hospital. The death toll remains at 35.