HCMC reopens bars, dance clubs as coronavirus put under control

HCMC authorities allowed 180 bars and dance clubs to resume operations from 6 p.m. Monday after over a month of closure to curb the second Covid-19 wave.

The move came with the southern metropolis having gone 38 days without domestic infections and the country’s major Covid-19 hotspots in Da Nang, Quang Nam and Hai Duong basically put under control.

Saigon’s bars and dance clubs had reopened on May 9, after being shut since mid-March due to Covid-19. After the disease resurfaced in late July, city authorities again closed entertainment services and banned crowded events.

In the latest decision issued Monday morning, city authorities also allowed festivals, fairs and conferences to be organized, in accordance with anti-pandemic measures.

Residents are encouraged to wear masks and keep a safe distance in public, disinfect their hands with sanitizer and avoid gathering large crowds except at schools, offices and hospitals.

HCMC has recorded eight local transmissions and seven imported cases in the second wave. Of these, seven are still receiving treatment while others had been discharged.

With Vietnam’s new Covid-19 outbreak contained, localities like Khanh Hoa, Binh Thuan, Quang Nam in central Vietnam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Dong Nai in the south have also reopened non-essential services like bars, karaoke parlors and dance clubs.

Vietnam has recorded no community transmissions since September 3. The nation has so far reported 1,049 Covid-19 cases, with 177 active and 35 deaths.

By Huu Cong – VnExpress.net – September 7, 2020