Accordingly, restaurants, cafes, and other food and beverages places can cater for sit-in services again, but they must close at 9pm each day, the number of customers is capped at 50 percent, and alcoholic drinks are still not allowed (except in wedding venues, or restaurants at hotels for tourists).

District 7 and Thu Duc city, due to their success in containing outbreaks, are allowed to carry out a ‘pilot’ period of selling alcoholic beverages starting tomorrow until November 15, with specific areas to be decided by local authorities.

The two localities will report to the city’s authorities after November 15 to inform their decisions on whether to expand the permission to other localities.

Customers are expected to leave records of entry at each food and drink establishment using QR codes via the health declaration or medical surveillance system.

The establishments have to have proper food safety licenses, separate section/quarter for reception of food, full stock of soap and hand sanitation products, and register their venues at the address: antoan-covid-19.gov.vn.

Staff must have either received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine or recovered from COVID-19 within six months. Frequent COVID-19 testing for staff is also required.

Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on October 24 announced the coronavirus risks in 22 districts, with nine qualified as safe zones, 12 as having medium risks and one, and one, Binh Tan District, as having high risks.