The decision was reached at a meeting of the city’s steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on Wednesday evening.

The social distancing rules set out in Directive No. 16 are tougher that those enshrined in the Government’s Directive No. 15 that has been applied in the southern metropolis since May 31.

Under Directive No. 16, only factories, businesses and service establishments producing and providing essential goods and services are allowed to open and asked to ensure workers follow strict health guidelines. 

All people are requested to stay at home and only go out in case of emergencies, buying food or medicine, or going to work at factories and essential services that are not closed down or halt operations. 

If leaving home, people are to keep a minimum distance of two meters from each other. Any gathering of more than two people in public outside of offices, schools and hospitals is banned.

As of 8:00 pm on July 7, the city recorded 8,151 out of the total of 19,555 community infection cases since April 27 when the fourth wave of COVID-19 resurgence began in Viet Nam./.