According to a plan announced Monday, state agencies in the city will have employees with the green pass return to work from October 1. The green pass affirms that the holder has received two Covid-19 vaccine doses or that she/he has recovered from the disease within the past six months.

From Oct. 1 to 31, these agencies can have no more than half of the green pass employees at the office at a time; and the rest of the employees will continue working remotely.

Any departments and units that want to have more than half of their green-pass employees at work need to take special permission from the city's authorities.

From November 1 to January 15, the number of green-pass employees allowed at a time in state offices will be raised to two-thirds of the total, and after Jan. 15, all employees with the pass can return to work.

The plan will not apply for any unit belonging to Covid-19 frontline forces, including medical workers and police officers.

More than 8.7 million people in HCMC have been administered at least one vaccine shots; and two million of these are fully vaccinated with two shots.

With a population of 13 million including migrants, the biggest city in Vietnam has been hit hardest so far in the nation’s fourth wave, which started late April.

Since late May, the southern city has gone through various levels of Covid-19 social distancing.

Since July 9, all people have been banned from going out of their homes except for "essential purposes." The rule is still in effect across the city until September 30.