The Hanoi People Committee has classified the city's Covid-19 risk at level 2 (orange zone) and ordered food and beverage establishments to close by 9:00pm to avoid large gatherings and curb the coronavirus spreading.

Hanoi has just identified two Covid-19 high-risk areas in outskirt districts of Me Linh and Quoc Oai and the municipal authorities last night issued an urgent plan to mitigate outbreak risk.

Accordingly, restaurants and other food and beverage establishments are allowed to provide on-site services but must shut down before 9:00 pm. They are requested to comply with other requirements for coronavirus prevention in force.

Besides, weddings must not have more than 30 attendees at the same time and all must be fully vaccinated. Those who show symptoms that are suspected of Covid-19 or haven't got any vaccine shot are recommended not to go.

Similarly, for funerals, no gathering of more than 30 is allowed, and no dining event should take place at the funerals.

The residential area of Bach Tru Village, Tien Thang Commune in the outskirt district of Me Linh has recorded many Covid-19 cases. Photo: Trong Tung

For religious activities, all goers must either have been fully vaccinated or test negative for the coronavirus within the last 72 hours. No gathering of more than 20 is allowed, and those with symptoms suspected to be of Covid-19 are not allowed to attend on-site.

Indoor physical facilities must also limit their capacity by half and prevent gatherings of more than 30. They must disinfect equipment every day, and ask goers, who must be fully vaccinated, to scan QR code to make medical declarations daily.

Barbershops and beauty parlors are allowed to operate as long as they abide by coronavirus prevention measures and all employees are fully vaccinated.

Bars, massage, and karaoke parlors still remain shuttered.

The Health Ministry last month classified Hanoi as a safe area or at level 1 (green zone). However, some areas in the city have ascended to higher-risk levels, thus, services and activities would be restricted, even banned outright.

Some 98% of Hanoi’s adult population have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine shot, while about 48% of people aged 65 and above have been fully vaccinated. Over the last two weeks, the capital city recorded nearly 100 new community transmission cases.

Yesterday, the Hanoi People’s Committee set plans to let students of fifth, sixth, ninth, tenth and 12th grades in 18 outskirt towns and districts return to school starting November 8.

However, those in the aforementioned grades would be able to attend classes in-person if their communes or towns are deemed to have low and medium coronavirus risks, meaning having no community cases within two weeks leading up to November 8.

The areas with newly detected community transmission cases will reopen schools at a later date and students in downtown districts would continue to study online.