Hanoi (VNA) – The capital city of Hanoi has ordered the closure ofstreetside stalls, monuments, temples and pagodas from February 16 toprevent the spread of COVID-19.

Ata meeting of the city’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention andControl on February 15 afternoon, Vice Chairman of the municipal People'sCommittee Chu Xuan Dung ordered the temporary closure of all streetsidestalls, religious and relic sites from midnight to curb the pandemic.

Dungasked that all schools in the city allow their students to stay home until theend of the month.

Thenew developments of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hanoi, with the source ofinfection of the dead Japanese man yet to be identified, his travel historycausing difficulties for tracing, pose high risks for the community. 

Heordered relevant districts and townships to concentrate on tracing, zoning andmass testing to stop the spread of the pandemic. Along with the disseminationof preventive information through mass media, local pharmacies and privatehealth facilities have been asked to report suspected cases.

HaiDuong province implemented social distancing throughout the province from February16 and provincial police coordinated with concerned authorities to set up 170pandemic control stations all over the province.

Thestations are responsible for controlling people and vehicles, measuring bodytemperature, reminding and handling cases of not strictly complying withpandemic prevention regulations.

ColonelLe Ngoc Chau, Director of the provincial Department of Public Security, saidpeople are not allowed to go out unless in special circumstances.

FromFebruary 16, people entering Quang Ninh province must comply with regulations. Peoplecoming from Hai Duong province and other outbreak hotspots will undergoconcentrated quarantine which they will have to pay for, and enterprises welcomingworkers back to the province after the Tet holidaymust organise COVID-19 tests for them. They are allowed back to work onlywith a negative result.

Peoplecoming from non-affected areas must have a negative COVID-19 testcertificate before entering the province.

Inthe absence of certificates, it is necessary to quarantine and undergo medicalmonitoring at home for 14 days.

Forpeople from Quang Ninh who go to other localities, they are allowed to leavethe province, but when they come back, they must comply with the sameregulations as for everyone else.

At12 control stations at border areas with other provinces and cities,electronic declarations are applied. People must present identity cards,citizenship cards or correspondence papers with their household registrationbooks or temporary residence registers./.