However they must meet all safety requirements to reopen, Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said at a committee meeting on Friday.

Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, home to major foreign manufacturing plants, also need to keep a close eye on their Covid hotspots and workers heading back to work, he said.

Tran Duc Phu, an epidemiologist, said the provinces have basically localized and isolated the infection, which has therefore been gradually decreasing in the last few days.

But they should continue to closely monitor quarantine facilities to avoid cross-infection, he warned.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An said his ministry has received a number of petitions from business groups and businesses in the two provinces to resolve the difficulties they face in producing and distributing goods.

The committee told the provinces to ensure that large factories serving supply chains continue to operate, production chains are not disrupted and all Covid prevention measures are complied with.

Dam tasked the health ministry with assisting Bac Giang and Bac Ninh in bringing large factories back into operation as soon as possible.

An official from the Ministry of Public Security said foreign businesses must carefully manage foreign experts’ stay, housing them in their factory premises instead of having them travel regularly there.

Bac Ninh and Bac Giang have locked down many areas.

Bac Giang has shut down four industrial parks and mandated social distancing in four districts and Bac Giang Town.

Since the new wave of Covid-19 emerged in Vietnam on April 27, the nation has recorded 1,913 cases in 30 cities and provinces.

Neighboring provinces Bac Giang and Bac Ninh now have the largest number of infections, at 778 and 394.