Since September 15, 150 businesses and business households in District 7, HCMC, have been allowed to reopen their premises. These include more than 100 supermarkets in safe and low-risk areas. In safe areas such as District 7, Cu Chi and Can Gio districts, people can go to the market once a week.

In high-risk areas, military personnel, district staff and volunteers do the shopping for residents required to "stay where they are."

Supermarket chains in District 7, including Lottemart, Vinmart, Co.opmart, Co.op Food and Big C have adjusted their timings to open early at 7 a.m. or 7:30 a.m.

Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputy director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said Sunday that over 18,600 households, or nearly half of the total households in District 7 have been given coupons for groceries shopping.

A representative of Saigon Co.op said that supermarkets in low-risk areas are now offering grocery combos and serving individual customers with coupons from ward authorities, so the number of visitors has been increasing.

HCMC has recorded nearly 342,000 Covid-19 cases in the fourth wave, nearly half of Vietnam’s total. To date, it has undergone over 100 days of social distancing at a various levels.