Ho Chi Minh City closes restaurants and beer clubs from March 24

Since announcing a document to close temporary public entertainment facilities such as cinemas, pubs, online gaming centres, massage parlours, karaoke clubs, discotheques, and theatres starting from March 15 to limit the spread of COVID-19, Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee added many more establishments to the list of closing from March 24.

These now also include restaurants and beer clubs (with capacity of at least 30 persons), billiard salons, gyms, and beauty and hair salons.

Ho Chi Minh City is the pilot city nationwide for the closing of public facilities, especially restaurants and pubs.

Ho Chi Minh City will close more public facilities to contain the spread of COVID-19

Deputy chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem also assigned the Department of Culture and Sports, the Department of Health, and other related departments, as well as the People's Committees of districts to monitor, inspect, and take charge of the implementation of the decision.

For smaller restaurants, owners were required to limit their capacity to less than 30 customers at any time and encourage delivery.

An outstanding case in point is Buddha Bar & Grill in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City, which was visited by four COVID-19 infected patients in the past several days. Patient 91 – a British citizen and pilot of Vietnam Airlines – was the first to be found positive for COVID-19 on March 14. Since then, three more people who have visited the pub were found positive, while 30 others are waiting for the results.

Ho Chi Minh City now has 24 districts and is the busiest commercial hub of the country with thousands of restaurants and public facilities.

As of March 24, Ho Chi Minh City has reported 30 cases of COVID-19 infection, three of whom (two Chinese nationals and an overseas Vietnamese) have been successfully treated and recovered. The rest of the patients are being quarantined and are undergoing treated. Until late March 24, Vietnam had 123 positive cases for COVID-19, with the first 17 patients successfully cured and zero deaths so far.