Lockdown and social distancing measures have been lifted in 14 out of 18 Covid-19-hit areas in Hanoi, Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien reported at a meeting on February 22.

Hien said if no suspected cases of the novel coronavirus are found this week, the city will remove lockdown in the remaining areas.

Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung speaks at the meeting. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

For his part, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung stressed that although Hanoi has gone through seven straight days with no new Covid-19 cases, the risk of infection in the community remains high.

Dung asked the committee and local anti-pandemic forces to continue strictly enforcing preventive measures, as well as conducting coronavirus testing at hospitals, health facilities, clinics, and concentrated quarantine areas, in order to effectively contain the spread of the pandemic.

At the meeting, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue affirmed all people should be mindful that the coexistence with the Covid-19 pandemic would be long-term.

Therefore, all sectors and localities at different levels have to keep strictly complying with the pandemic prevention and control protocols, Hue added.

He stressed that the capital city will have to make plans to make necessary resources available to ensure the fight against the pandemic in a timely and effective way.

At the time of writing, Hanoi has recorded 36 infections in the latest community transmission outbreak, in eight districts including Nam Tu Liem, Dong Anh, Cau Giay, Me Linh, Hai Ba Trung, Dong Da, Ba Dinh and Tay Ho. The disease situation in Hanoi has been basically put under control.