Ho Chi Minh City confirms easing social distancing after September 30

After September 30, road permits and checkpoints will be removed inside Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Le Toan

After September 30, Ho Chi Minh City will remove checkpoints and road permits. People will also be allowed to travel within the city bounds, claimed Le Hoa Binh, vice chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, at a press conference announcing a new directive on adjusting COVID-19 control measures on September 30.

In particular, instead of road permits, the city will apply IT to make travel safe and seamless. People will be required to use the QR codes of the VNEID application and the HCM Health application to display their vaccination information. In case there is no QR code, people can present similar documents.

As planned, from 6 pm on September 30, some business and services lines will be reopened, including medical examination and treatment establishments, medical service facilities, as well as establishments dealing in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical supplies, and equipment.

In addition, several production, trade, business, and service activities will be allowed to resume, including enterprises in industrial parks, export processing zones, and high-tech parks; cooperatives as well as households engaged in agricultural, forestry and fishery production; agricultural production support services; and veterinary facilities.

Additionally, traffic works and construction; services providing food and foodstuffs; commercial centres; convenience stores and grocery stores; wholesale and traditional markets; services providing chemicals, electricity, water, fuel; services of buying, selling, repairing, and maintaining vehicles, machinery, civil and industrial equipment; services of management, operation, maintenance, repair, application of infrastructure systems, equipment of agencies, buildings and apartments will be allowed to resume.

Meanwhile, food service establishments will only be allowed to sell takeaways. Restaurants in accommodation establishments, resorts, and tourist attractions will only be authorised to serve visitors staying on-site, and will not be allowed to operate buffets.

Otherwise, barbers and hair care establishments will be able to at 50 per cent of their capacity. Religious establishments will also be allowed to welcome a maximum of 10 people at once (this can be extended to a maximum of 70 people in case participants have been vaccinated with two shots of vaccine or have recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection). Funerals and weddings will be limited to a maximum of 20 people at a time.