More businesses allowed to operate in HCMC’s latest social distance extension

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee last night released an urgent direction regarding social distance extension citywide in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Directive 16 from 12am August 16 to September 15. All localities and related state agencies, departments are asked to strictly monitor citizens’ movements. This time, however, more business groups are allowed to operate to maintain social security.

The mobile market for people staying in the ‘green safe zone’ of District 3. (Photo: SGGP)


From 6am to 6pm each day, besides the already regulated business groups, HCMC approves more kinds to resume their work, including

_food processing sites (to make bread, tofu, noodle, etc.);
_notary organizations;
_companies to offer services of building security, building infrastructure maintenance and repair, office machine maintenance and repair;
_insurance companies to perform work on assessing cases, making claims, and settling insurance benefits for clients;
_airplane ticket offices; and
_private clinics.

People allowed to ship essential commodities include

_tech-based shippers of registered companies delivering goods between districts, Thu Duc City and observing Covid-19 prevention and control measures tightly (keeping social distance, using contactless payment methods, wearing a ‘shipper armband’)

_shippers of food processing companies, essential commodities stores

State agencies, units and socio-political organizations assign no more than one-fourth of their regular staff to work on-site, except the military and medical staff.

From 6pm to 6am of the next day, citizens are requested not to go out unless in emergency or coming to vaccination sites. Businesses and stores must cease their work during that time.

Those approved to travel at that time are

_Covid-19 prevention and control forces of the municipal authorities or the localities

_medical emergency staff

_employees of supermarkets, convenience stores, essential commodities stores working to prepare inventory for the next day and to disinfect their goods, their sites

_flight crews and workers of member units of the Southern Region Branch of Vietnam Airlines JSC who serve passenger flights, cargo flights of goods, medical equipment, and vaccine

_employees of prepared meal units to provide to charity groups, medical treatment facilities, quarantine sites, hospitals

_officials, reporters and journalists of newspapers and television broadcasters on duty in HCMC

_postal transport services and people responsible for delivering the post of the Party, the Government, and the local authorities

_urban sanitation workers and technicians dealing with issues related to electricity, water, information systems, traffic facilities and technical infrastructure

_vehicles to transport essential commodities, pandemic prevention forces, workers of businesses following the ‘1 route – 2 terminals’

_vehicles of logistics companies to ship materials for goods manufacturing, imported goods, and medical equipment

_ambulances, approved vehicles to carry patients

_gas stations at 12 main gateways into HCMC

In the urgent direction, HCMC People’s Committee asked that the Center to Receive and Deliver Essential Items for the Poor and Vulnerable during Covid-19 Pandemic prepare one million aiding packages to be ready for distribution to poor freelancers, students, workers living in all districts and Thu Duc City, along with vaccination provision, so that these vulnerable people feel at ease in the social distance extension time.

HCMC ensures that until September 15, over 70 percent of city dwellers over 18 years old are vaccinated at least one time and 15 percent with the second shot, while the remaining 15 percent of workers in industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech parks receive the first shot.

HCMC People’s Committee also directed the implementation of the Home-based Care program for Covid-19 patients staying at home.

The districts of Can Gio, Cu Chi, Nha Be, Phu Nhuan, 5, 7, 11 try to put the outbreak under control.

The urgent direction calls upon the closest cooperation ever of the whole city in this harsh Covid-19 fight so that HCMC can come back to the new normal status at the earliest time.

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