• Vietnam daily Covid-19 cases reach record high 7,295

• Social distancing rules also extended in business hub of HCMC.

Vietnam’s Capital city of Hanoi will impose social distancing measures for 15 days, amid the emergence of new COVID-19 clusters, authorities said.

The restrictions will take effect from 6am Saturday, imposed under Directive 16, which comprises the most stringent social distancing regulations.

The order requires residents to stay at home and only go out for basic necessities such as buying food or medicines or to work at factories or businesses that are allowed to open. People must keep a distance of at least two meters. No more than two people can gather at public places apart from workplaces, schools or hospitals.

The majority of public transportation will be shut down and there will be no travel to other localities.

Working from home will also become the default arrangement.

Related: Vietnam keeps breaking the its record of daily COVID-19 cases – How did this happen?

Hanoi has seen a spike in cases related to several clusters. Within today, the city records 70 new cases.

The city has logged a total of 879 infections since April 27, making it the eighth-biggest coronavirus hotspot during the current outbreak, official data showed.

The new restrictions have disheartened some residents who had enjoyed a semblance of normal life for few weeks. “It’s a good way of having a lockdown without calling it a lockdown,” said a man in Hanoi.

Also read: Foreigners in Vietnam can now register for COVID-19 vaccine online. Here’s how!

With 2,115 patients declared recovered on Friday, the total number of recoveries  in Vietnam since the start of the pandemic rose to 15,536.

The national Covid-19 tally since the new wave started late April has reached 77,882, recorded in 61 of 63 localities.