HANOI— Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s Coronavirus outbreak epicenter, will extend its restrictions.
However, Hanoi and other provinces resorted to ease restrictions and domestic flights proposed to resume operations, state media reported on Monday.
Authorities said that the extension is until the end of September to isolate clusters of infection, to speed up vaccination, and to prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed.
Over a million people in Vietnam have been vaccinated already, about 5.2 percent of the country’s 98 million population, but this remains to be one of the region’s lowest.
City Vice Chairman Duong Anh Duc stated that Ho Chi Minh City will be under restrictions for another two weeks.
Vietnam maintained one of the world’s best containment records but the current outbreaks and the restrictions have led the economy to go down in August.
The prime minister warned the citizens that the long battle with coronavirus could not be relied with lockdown and quarantine measures indefinitely.
The civil aviation authority has requested to the transport ministry to resume domestic flights after several months of suspension.