Customers in a cafe in HCM City’s District 1 on October 28, when the city first allowed dine-in services to resume. – VNA Photo Hồng Giang

HCM CITY – In HCM City, the country’s COVID-19 epicentre, most activities have resumed and the economy seems to be recovering amid its so-called ‘new normal’ a month after it lifted restrictions on October 1.

Phan Văn Mãi, chairman of the city People’s Committee, told Sài Gòn Giải Phóng newspaper, “The city has been able to keep the pandemic under control.”

Checkpoints and barriers have been removed, people can go to work without requiring travel permits, and people from other provinces can come to the city to work easily thanks to the easing of travel restrictions.

More than 110 out of 234 traditional markets have reopened, with arrangements made to ensure social distancing by customers and vendors.

Mãi said more than 93 per cent of businesses in industrial parks, processing and export zones and hi-tech parks have reopened, and more than 70 per cent of workers have returned to work.

More and more businesses outside of the parks and household businesses are reopening as well.

Dine-in services are again allowed since October 28 after a five-months ban though restaurants are restricted to half their capacity.

Several restaurants in District 7 and Thủ Đức City are allowed to serve alcoholic beverages on a trial basis.

People are also able to visit many other services such as barbershops and bookstores.

HCM City would gradually keep reopening to allow more activities, depending on the pandemic situation, Mãi said.

The city’s index of industrial production rose by 23.6 per cent in October from September, but manufacturing in the first 10 months was 16 per cent down year-on-year.

Total retail sales of goods and services increased by 27 per cent in October.

More than 78 per cent of the city’s adult population has received two shots of COVID vaccination.

The number of daily infections has dropped from around 3,000 at the end of September to around 1,000 at the start of November. The number of deaths has also fallen drastically.

A woman and her child at a book store in HCM City in October. – Photo sggp.org.vn

‘City should be bold in its reopening’

Associate Professor Đỗ Văn Dũng of the HCM City University of Medicine and Pharmacy said the decision to allow restaurants to resume dine-in services was the right move and would not pose a high risk since many adults had received two shots.

Other countries had also safely reopened after reaching vaccination targets, only requiring green cards and people to wear masks, he pointed out.

“The city should allow businesses to be more proactive with its pandemic preventive measures, and accept the rise of COVID-19 cases as long as the pandemic is still under control,” he told VnExpress newspaper.

Services that remain closed such as karaoke and massage parlours, night clubs and bars were not essential and posed a high risk of spreading the disease, and the city needed to reopen them carefully, he added.

Vũ Kim Hạnh, chairwoman of the Vietnamese High Quality Product Business Association, said businesses should set up quick response teams and work closely with the city’s mobile medical stations so that they could react quickly if they find an employee having COVID-19.

Lê Minh Tấn, director of the city Department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said the focus would be on helping businesses fill their vacancies since many were still struggling with a lack of workers since many had returned to their hometowns.

The city is currently designated ‘medium-level’ for COVID risk, but it is expected to become ‘low’ in November, much earlier than the original target of January.

Nine of its districts have achieved that status, while 12 remain medium. Only Bình Tân District is still high-risk. – VNS