The management board of HCMC Book Street has completing the city’s evaluation criteria for safe business operations. Thus the book street could not reopen on October 1 as planned, said Director of HCMC Book Street Le Hoang.

Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Phan Van Mai on October 1 signed Directive No. 18 on continued prevention and control measures against Covid-19 and gradual economic recovery.

Laborers are invited to stay in Ho Chi Minh City for economic recovery after the fourth wave of coronavirus pandemic in the southern metropolis.

The HCM City draft document guiding how to adapt to the new normal and control the Covid-19 outbreak notes at least 80 percent of people aged 50 and over should be fully vaccinated.

HCM City has licenced a number of production facilities, enterprises and services to resume normal operations starting on Friday after a months-long shutdown of tough COVID-19 preventive measures.

The HCM City Department of Transport has drafted travel regulations starting from October 1 that specify where vehicles can ply based on COVID-19 levels.

The number of deaths has decreased significantly and the number of patients discharged from hospitals is higher than the number of new infections in HCM City. Seven localities have contained outbreaks. Construction works have been reactivated.

To effectively reopen the economy, HCM City has asked the Government to allow the city to apply its own regulations and a cooperation mechanism among localities.

The fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City has seen higher efficiency as the numbers of new cases, severe patients and deaths have decreased while the number of discharged patients has increased rapidly, said a municipal official.

The Department of Transport of Ho Chi Minh City, on the afternoon of September 24, informed that it had just submitted to the municipal People's Committee a plan to coordinate with provinces to welcome workers back to the city.

As many as 160,000 shippers in Ho Chi Minh City have received at least one shot of vaccine against COVID-19, with 33,025 of them getting full two shots, reported Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade Nguyen Nguyen Phuong.

The HCM City Department of Health plans to reduce the number of COVID-19 quarantine and treatment facilities as the number of patients discharged and being treated at home is increasing.

The HCM City Department of Health has asked the city government to create a payment scale for fees for COVID-19 treatment at private facilities.

HCM City will gradually reopen economic activities in areas with less risk of COVID-19 infection after September 30.

HCM City Chairman Phan Van Mai said the city will issue a support policy for children who have lost their parents due to Covid-19.

Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health Nguyen Hoai Nam said the city needs 6,031,000 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from September 20 to October 31.

HCM City is struggling providing COVID-19 tests to local shippers as the number of shippers registered with the city’s Department of Industry and Trade has soared over the last few days.

HCM City’s Department of Health has proposed giving the COVID-19 ‘green card’ to people who have received at least one dose of vaccine.

A total of 10,040 fresh COVID-19 cases, and 233 deaths regarding the coronavirus were confirmed on September 19 by the Ministry of Health.

Many firms are worried about labour shortages after resuming operations after the social distancing period.