Vietnam will extend the lockown in the southern part of the country by two more weeks, officials said on Saturday. This applies, inter alia, to the city of Ho Chi Minh, which records a record number of infections, where the blockade of economic and social life has been going on for two months.
– The application of restrictions in the region is aimed at creating a safety belt around the city of Ho Chi Minh and preventing the further spread of the pandemic. Months may be needed to deal with the situation, said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who heads the team responsible for fighting the pandemic.
Coronavirus in VietnamLUONG THAI LINH / PAP / EPA
Coronavirus in Vietnam
By Saturday, a total of over 141,000 infections were detected across the country and 1,161 deaths were reported. At the end of May, the total number of patients was estimated at only 7.2 thousand. More than 60 percent of infections are now recorded in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city and business center of a country with nearly 100 million people.
Both there and in the capital city of Hanoi, there are strict regulations, including a curfew, and people are allowed to leave their homes only in urgent need. The Vietnamese, interviewed by the Polish Press Agency, described the ban on moving outside the city and strict controls of residents within its borders and on access roads. They also talked about the need to have stamped permits every time you go to the bazaar for shopping.
Coronavirus Delta variant
Until later in spring, Vietnam, thanks to restrictive regulations, a widespread testing campaign and tracing of infected contacts, could boast a daily number of infections on a double-digit level, it was one of the best results in the world. However, the spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus has changed dramatically.
Over the past week, more than 2,100 people with medical education have been mobilized to help the sick in Ho Chi Minh City, including students and students, as well as retired doctors and nurses. There are also four new temporary hospitals, which will have almost 10.5 thousand. beds. Authorities on Thursday said they would speed up vaccination against the coronavirus in Ho Chi Minh City. Until now, however, the Vietnamese vaccination campaign has been the slowest in all of Southeast Asia. By the end of July, medical services had vaccinated only 0.6 percent. the country’s population.
Main photo source: LUONG THAI LINH / PAP / EPA