Nguyen Thanh Phong, Chairman of the city People's Committee, said: "HCMC, and the entire country, is bracing itself to fight the Covid-19 outbreak. The next two weeks are an important period that would decide whether we win or lose in this fight."

Some 1,300-1,800 people arrive at the city's Tan Son Nhat Airport every day, which is a huge burden for Saigon in fighting the disease, he said.

There are instances of people who were unwilling to go into quarantine despite persuasion by local authorities.

Recently a Cameroonian pilot at The Ascent apartment building in District 2 refused to go into quarantine after being persuaded by local officials, and the city's Departments of Health and Foreign Affairs. Part of the building has been locked down after a British pilot living there was confirmed infected with Covid-19 last week.

Phong said the Department of Justice must devise procedures to force such people into quarantine, whether in their own homes or in quarantine zones, for the sake of the community’s safety.

The department must also devise policies to deal with people who do not wear masks in public, and the Department of Industry and Trade must punish businesses that hoard masks or increase their prices too much, he said.

Apartment managers need to measure the body temperatures of people going in and out and control their flow, and be aware of the itineraries of residents, he said.

Vietnam has rolled out several measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, including mandatory wearing of masks in public and a temporary ban on entry by foreign nationals.

The country has had 123 Covid-19 cases so far, of whom 17 have recovered. Many of the remaining people, all currently in hospitals, are Vietnamese and foreigners arriving from Europe and the U.S.

The pandemic has killed over 16,500 people and spread to 195 countries and territories.