Businesses and services that are allowed to stay open include factories, manufacturers, traffic works, construction sites, essential services such as food, pharmaceuticals, electricity, water, fuel, gasoline. Medical declaration by QRCode is required for all of them.

Offices and agencies have to make plans to have employees to work 50 percent from home. Trade centers, supermarkets, traditional markets and wholesale markets in the locality shall sell only essential items. Online shopping and delivery are encouraged.

Transporting goods from other localities to Hanoi will require medical declarations. The driver and co-driver must test negative for Covid-19 not more than three days prior to travel.

Vehicles from other localities can go through Hanoi to other places, but cannot pick up or drop anyone off in the city.

The capital also requires a reduction of 50 percent in operating capacity and occupation of seats in public buses, except in special cases like vehicles carrying experts, workers, quarantined people, goods and production materials. The use of personal vehicles is also restricted.

Since the new wave began in late April, Hanoi has recorded 427 Covid-19 cases, 167 of them after July 5.

Vo Hai