Hoi An Town will close its pedestrian zone from February 4 until further notice in the wake of new Covid-19 community transmissions in the country. 

Nguyen Van Son, chairman of the ancient town, a major tourist attraction in Quang Nam Province, has signed a document stopping all "non-essential" gathering activities.

The order was issued after the country's latest Covid-19 outbreak spread to eight localities since last Thursday though Quang Nam is yet to record any cases.

The document also suspends all cultural, sports and humanitarian assistance activities. Those who have to attend necessary meetings must wear masks and take all other preventive measures. It says events like street art festivals, cuisine festivals, and senior fitness competitions will be postponed.

This step has been taken with an eye on the festivities that take place around the Lunar New Year holiday, or Tet, which peaks on Feb. 12 this year.

Tourists visit the pedestrian zone in Hoi An Town. Photo by VnExpress/Dac Thanh.

The Spring Flower Festival and the Tet market will still be organized as scheduled, but those attending must take preventive measures.

Quang Nam has identified 71 people returning from the northern Covid-19 hotspots of Quang Ninh and Hai Duong. All of them have tested negative for the novel coronavirus once.

Many northern localities like Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Son La and Cao Bang have decided to cancel crowded spring festivals as well as sports and entertainment activities as the country grapples with a rapidly spreading Covid-19 outbreak.

Vietnam has recorded a chain of community transmissions after a gap of 55 days. The Health Ministry reported 14 new community transmissions on Sunday morning, taking the total recorded since last Thursday to 221.

The sources of transmissions of the latest outbreak have not been identified, with the first patients confirmed being a man working at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh Province and a woman working at the Vietnam Poyun Electronics Co. Ltd in Chi Linh Town, Hai Duong.

In the south, Ho Chi Minh City authorities said Saturday that they would still allow festivals and events that have been planned, but with strict measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

The metropolis has recorded one case of community transmission linked to Hai Duong Province, the country's biggest Covid-19 hotspot.