In response to the current COVID-19 situation in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and to promptly eliminate the outbreak with the motto of "Urgently - Rapidly - Vigorously - Consistently - Proactively";

HCMC People’s Committee gives the following directions:

1. Implement social distancing citywide according to the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 15/CT-TTg dated March 27, 2020 for 15 days starting from 00:00 May 31, 2021.

2. For Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward of District 12: implement quarantine according to the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 for 15 days starting from 00:00 May 31, 2021 between families, neighborhoods, wards; workers in factories shall keep a safety distance, wear facemasks, and sanitize the workplace as prescribed; the people are advised to go out only when strictly necessary such as for food or medicines, emergency treatment, work in facilities that are allowed to maintain operation to provides essential goods or services, and in other urgent circumstances; maintain a safety distance of at least 2 m during communication; do not form groups of more than 2 people outside office buildings, schools, hospitals and in public places.

For travel from other areas to Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward of District 12: Department of Transport shall take charge and cooperate with HCMC Police, Go Vap District People's Committee and District 12 People's Committee in providing detailed guiding documents; setting up checkpoints and informing people about the streets where traffic is banned or limited via mass media.

3. HCMC residents are advised to remain calm, support COVID-19 prevention and control measures, cooperate with HCMC government, properly comply with COVID-19 safety requirements and measures according to the 5K instructions of the Ministry of Health, especially use of face masks in public and workplace and not going out unless strictly necessary; people aged 60 or older are recommended to stay home at all times; avoid visiting healthcare facilities unless strictly necessary; do not form groups of more than 05 people outside of office buildings, schools, hospitals and public places; keep a distance of at least 02 meters in public places.

HCMC residents are advised to visit a healthcare facility immediately after developing a COVID-19 symptom or having an epidemiological factor related to COVID-19 for examination and screening according to regulations; make honest health declaration and not hide their health conditions.

4. Continue to suspend operation of the facilities mentioned in Official Dispatch No. 1641/UBND-VX dated May 21, 2021 and Official Dispatch No. 1737/UBND-VX dated May 28, 2021 by HCMC People's Committee, namely spas, beauty clinics (men and women hair salons, nail salons, etc.); massage parlors; saunas; cosmetic surgery clinics and hospitals; recreational facilities; music venues; drama theaters; movie theaters; wedding venues; buffet businesses and businesses of eating/drinking in combination with singing in any shape or form; night clubs; bars; karaoke facilities; pubs; beer clubs; electronic game businesses and internet cafes; tourist attractions, monuments, museums, libraries (online document provision is permitted); activities on walking streets, in night markets and in public parks; indoor sports and physical exercise businesses (gym, fitness, billiards, yoga, etc.); sports centers; and public sports training areas in HCMC; outdoor sports and physical exercise businesses may operate with groups of no more than 05 people.

- Only takeaway and online ordering are allowed for food and beverage establishments. Delivery persons must take all COVID-19 safety measures, especially use of face masks and keeping a distance of 02 meters while waiting in these establishments.

- Food preparation facilities, including ready-to-eat food businesses, prepared meals providers, canteens and commercial kitchens shall operate in compliance with detailed guidelines from HCMC food safety management board.

- Restaurants inside hotels may operate to serve guests staying in their hotels. These restaurants shall have spacious seating arrangement, ensure that people keep a distance of at least 02 meters, serve no more than 10 people at a time and properly adopt COVID-19 safety measures according to regulations of health authority.

- Convenience stores shall operate in compliance with regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

- Homestay and AirBnb lodgings shall stop receiving guests.

5. Suspend operation of the following facilities/activities: shopping malls; electric appliance supermarkets; prize-winning electronic game and casino businesses (in hotels); cosmetic treatments in hospitals, polyclinics and specialized clinics.

- Suspend all religious rites and celebrations in religious and folk religion establishments and places of worship.

- Suspend identity card issuance procedures citywide.

Implementation of the abovementioned directions starts from 00:00 May 31, 2021 until further notice.

6. Defer the 10th grade entrance examination until further notice.

7. For transport activities in HCMC:

- All passenger transport under contracts, tourist transport, transshipment and buses shall operate at 50% capacity at the maximum and transport no more than 20 people per trip. Passengers are required to wear face masks, sit alternatively in different rows and make heath declaration as per regulations. All vehicles shall be equipped with disinfectant solutions for passengers to use; and be disinfected before and after each trip and at the end of the day.

- Inter-provincial route-based passenger transport shall operate at 50% capacity at the maximum and transport no more than 10 people per trip. Passengers are required to wear face masks, sit alternatively in different rows and make heath declaration as per regulations. All vehicles shall be equipped with disinfectant solutions for passengers to use; and be disinfected before and after each trip and at the end of the day.

- Worker transport vehicles must be disinfected before operation. Passengers must wear face masks and clean their hands using hand sanitizer. Heads of units shall decide fixed seating arrangements and travel routes to facilitate contact tracing in the event of infection. All vehicles must operate at 50% capacity at the maximum and transport no more than 20 people per trip. Passengers shall sit alternatively in different rows and make heath declaration as per regulations.

- Passenger transport taxis and app-cars with less than 09 seats may operate and shall strictly follow the 5K instructions of the Ministry of Health and directions of the Ministry of Transport; not transport passengers who fail to comply with regulations; not use air-conditioner, and open their windows during trips. Passengers must make health declaration and wear face masks while taking these vehicles as per regulations.

Watercrafts shall operate at 50% capacity at the maximum. Passengers are required to wear face masks. These vehicles shall be equipped with disinfectant solutions for passengers to use; and be disinfected before and after each trip and at the end of the day.

8. Department of Health shall:

- Carry out large-scale testing, prioritizing testing of staff of voting locations visited by members of Revival Ekklesia Mission and all workers of export-processing zones, industrial parks and hi-tech parks.

- Direct HCMC CDC to cooperate with University of Medicine Pham Ngoc Thach and HCMC University of Medicine and Pharmacy in mobilizing final-year students for sample collection, ensuring 50.000 samples per day.

- Direct clinics and hospitals to properly follow procedures and maintain strict control to prevent cross-contamination in healthcare facilities; employ electronic health declaration; request all persons entering healthcare facilities to make health declaration; allow each patient to have only one caregiver; suspend all patient visits in hospitals. Provide strict regulations on patient receipt. Hospitals whose inpatient departments record a COVID-19 case shall be placed under complete quarantine until the situation is under control. Any hospital detecting a suspected case during screening shall stop receiving patients to disinfect this area.

9. Department of Labor - War Invalids and Social Affairs, Department of Industry and Trade and Department of Tourism shall review and grasp difficulties faced by enterprises and small production establishments as well as employment problems to provide timely assistance according to HCMC assistance packages.

10. Department of Industry and Trade shall direct supermarket systems in HCMC, especially Sai Gon Coop, to perform the following tasks:

- Increase sufficient goods provision and price stabilization for citizens; do not allow goods shortages; encourage online shopping.

- Implement distancing in supermarket systems in HCMC by dividing customers into groups of no more than 20 people; obtain health declaration and check body temperature of all visitors.

- Keep air-conditioner temperature in supermarkets and convenience stores at 25 degrees Celsius at the minimum; ensure proper ventilation, hygiene and storage conditions.

11. Department of Home Affairs shall refer documents of HCMC People's Committee to provide state units and agencies with work-from-home guidelines for officials and public employees; only those in charge of essential operations such as healthcare, on-call shifts, essential goods provision, confidential document handling and other necessary duties may work in office; increase online meetings. Leaders shall take responsibility for officials, public employees and workers infected with COVID-19 due to improper compliance with COVID-19 safety regulations in their workplaces.

Companies, enterprises and corporations, including foreign-invested companies, are encouraged to minimize in-person activities, switch to online working and only visit their workplaces for strictly essential matters.

12. Department of Information and Communications shall further raise the awareness of COVID-19 prevention and control via mass media and social networks, focusing on positive results, effective models and methods and solidarity in the fight against COVID-19; advise people against commenting on or sharing COVID-19 information not published by regulatory bodies to prevent public confusion; promulgate guidelines on information technology application, online meetings and online administrative procedures for ministries and People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and districts within 03 working days.

13. HCMC Police shall cooperate with Department of Health and People's Committees of Thu Duc City and districts in rapidly, vigorously and thoroughly eliminate existing infection chains in HCMC, focusing on the infection chain related to Revival Ekklesia Mission; quickly tracing and handling at-risk cases, those having contact with confirmed cases and visitors to at-risk locations announced by HCMC CDC or local health authority. Advise these cases to promptly make health declaration with local health authority as per regulations to be placed under proper health monitoring and prevent infection (in case they become confirmed cases).

14. Heads of ministries and Chairpersons of People's Committees of Thu Duc City and districts shall:

- Not leave HCMC without the permission of the Chairperson of HCMC People's Committee.

- Establish quick response teams to respond to COVID-19 situations arising in areas under their management.

- Suspend all non-essential mass events and meetings; increase application of information technology in online working; not convene meetings with more than 20 participants in one room.

- Check body temperature, obtain health declaration and draw up lists of persons working on or visiting their premises to facilitate contact tracing where necessary.

- For meetings and events: participants must wear face masks, sit at least 2 meters apart from each other; not shake hands; and wash or sanitize their hands before and after the meeting/event; meeting/event rooms must be cleaned and surfaces and objects touched by participants must be disinfected after each meeting/event.

- Take responsibility before HCMC People’s Committee for any meeting or conference with more than 20 participants; officials and public employees of HCMC must be examples of proper compliance with COVID-19 prevention and control regulations of the healthcare sector.

- Inspect and supervise implementation of directions given by HCMC People’s Committee and strictly handle violations.

For your reference and compliance./.

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