Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province is drafting plans for reopening after September 22. — Photo courtesy of nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Several wards and communes in Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province are expected to continue to be under the Government's Directive 16, while Côn Đảo District would return to a "new normal" state.

The provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Tuesday held a meeting on epidemic prevention and control plans after September 22 to discuss ending the province's 5th social distancing period.

Directive 16 would continue to be applied in wards Nguyễn An Ninh, Thắng Nhất, Thắng Nhì, 1, 10 and 11, located in various districts.

Some communes and towns in Long Điền District, namely Phước Hưng, An Ngãi and Long Hải, will also be under Directive 16.

Bà Rịa City, Phú Mỹ Town, Châu Đức District, Đất Đỏ District and Xuyên Mộc District, together with the remaining communes and towns of Long Điền District, will be under the more relaxed Directive 15.

Production and business activities in Côn Đảo District will resume in a new normal state. However, traffic from the mainland to the island must be carefully monitored.

Districts such as Châu Đức, Đất Đỏ, Xuyên Mộc and Bà Rịa City aim to slowly recover and carefully open some types of economic activities in four stages.

During the first stage, between September 23 and 30, those areas will loosen travel control in the “green zone” and reopen supermarkets, retail store chains, small businesses selling essential items, traditional markets and take-away food services, and resume agricultural, forestry and fishery production activities.

The second stage, from October 1 to 31, involves tourism at hotels with closed services.

If the epidemic continues to be controlled well and Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu returns to the new normal, the third stage, from November 11 to December 31, will be implemented.

The locality will allow tourist and resort establishments to welcome guests who are fully vaccinated. Real estate agencies, and security and insurance activities will be permitted to open, and intra-provincial public transport will operate at 50 per cent capacity. Education, training services and sports activities would be limited to no more than 20 people.

All economic activities in the last stage will reopen in 2022.

Vice chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Trần Văn Tuấn is seeking feedback from authorities and will announce the final plan soon.

As of September 21, after more than two months of social distancing, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu had recorded 3,943 COVID-19 cases. — VNS