HCMC to extend social distancing rules by late September

The Vice Chairman made the announcement on the metropolis’s plan on social distancing rule in the coming time. 

Generally, the PM’s Directive 16 will be applied in the city in the next two weeks. Some districts will apply stricter measures (so-called Directive 16 plus).

Meanwhile, other districts which have basically brought the pandemic under control such as Can Gio and Cu Chi districts could ease restrictions a little bit.

According to Mr. Duong, the city is working on how to issue COVID-19 “green cards” and “yellow cards” or similar models in a bid to create favorable ways for fully vaccinated people but not from September 15. He added that safety must be the top priority.

HCMC has worked with the Ministry of Information and Communications to synchronize the information of residents. Residents will be given green or yellow passes if they meet the requirements.

Specifically, COVID-19 green passes will be given to people who have received two doses of the vaccine and the passes will be valid two weeks after the second shot.

Meanwhile, people who have received one COVID-19  vaccine shot and have had enough time to produce antibodies are eligible for a yellow pass.

Earlier, Secretary of the local Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen said that Ho Chi Minh City needs more time to effectively control the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The city has imposed social distancing regulations at various levels since May 31.

Local authorities are speeding up COVID-19 vaccination rollout to cover all residents aged 18 and older by September 15, as a condition for the city to partially reopen.

By September 12, the numbers of people receiving the first and second vaccine doses in the nine-million-strong city had reached some 7.8 million and 1.3 million, respectively.  

In Ho Chi Minh City, 298,549 patients of Covid-19 and 11,992 fatalities have been recorded, the highest numbers in the country, followed by southern Binh Duong and Dong Nai Provinces./.

By Kim Anh