Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on July 29 said cities and provinces nationwide are eligible to decide which measures to be taken in their localities upon the pandemic evolution.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a meeting on July 29. Photo: VGP

Accordingly, heads of the localities will be allowed to impose by their own either Decree 16 or Decree 19, meaning that lockdown or partial lockdown depending on the developments of Covid-19.

Decree 16/CT-TTg, released by the prime minister on March 31, 2020, requires social distancing, for which people need to stay home with limit travel, except for emergencies or going out for food, drug, and essential services.

Meanwhile, Decree 19/CT-TTg dated on April 24, 2020 asks people to take precautionary measures namely wear of face masks in public places, outside offices, schools, and hospitals; washing hands regularly with sanitizer. It also bans operations of non-essential services like beauty spas, karaoke lounges, bars, among others.

Phuc made the statement following an outbreak last week in the central city of Danang after Vietnam experienced more than three months without community transmission.

In a government meeting on July 29, PM Phuc said the current wave of infections is different from the previous stages and that every city and province in the country is at risk.

He asked the authorities to quickly take drastic measures and called on locals to keep vigilance on the virus.

Danang is now under lockdown since July 28 while three hospitals where first local infections are believed to link to is being isolated.

Since the detection of the local infection on July 24 in Danang, SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Dak Lak.

In the first waves of the novel coronavirus, Vietnam had imposed both lockdown and social distancing in some affected areas, including the country's largest hospital Bach Mai, Ha Loi village in Hanoi with more than 11,000 residents, and Son Loi commune in the neighboring province of Vinh Phuc with over 10,000 people affected.