Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s epicenter, will require stay-at-home orders for two weeks starting on August 23, allowing few people to go out during the curfew.

A deserted street in Ho Chi Minh City is on lockdown. Photo: VNA

The following groups of people are eligible to travel out.

1. Frontline forces, those in anti-pandemic mission, those on diplomatic duty

2. Military personnel and policemen

3. Those going out for emergency and vaccination

4. Those working for charity purposes

4. Workers in essential services: food supply, aviation, finance, banking, insurance, securities, journalism, post and telecommunications, transport, sanitation, electricity, water, and funeral

5. Shippers, except for those working in Thu Duc City, District 1, District 8, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh, and Hoc Mon Districts

6. Workers in the hospitality sector

In addition, state employees are allowed to go to the office but they either stay in the office or travel between office and home without transit to ensure safety. Each state office captures no more than 25% of its employees for a working shift/day.

Armed forces and the health sector need to work with total personnel.

Notably, people who go out for work and mission must show a movement permit signed and sealed by state agencies and companies that are subject to the movement.

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) imposes stricter social distancing with the support of armed forces sent from the central government. Over the past three days, nearly 3,000 military medics and 300 mobile policemen have presented in the city.

To facilitate the enforcement of safety rules, the city has been equipped with dozens of mobile testing labs and ambulances run by military medics to provide testing and vaccination at home.

HCMC has imposed the restrictions under Directive 16 that mandates stay-at-home measures since July 9, however, the pandemic remains worse with more than 180,000 infections and nearly 7,000 deaths. It reports an average of 4,000 cases and 241 deaths daily over the past few weeks.

The worse situation has prompted stricter restrictions by the central government. It results in the deployment of the army sent from Hanoi.