Restaurants on Hồ Đắc Di Street, Đống Đa District, put up signs saying they only fulfill takeaway/delivery orders after the ban was imposed on Monday. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội’s leader reaffirmed on Wednesday that no large-scale lockdown was on the table currently amid a spike in COVID-19 cases in recent days.

Addressing a meeting of the Standing Committee of Hà Nội Party Committee today, Hà Nội Party Secretary Đinh Tiến Dũng said given that the situation was still under control, especially with the high vaccination rate, the city’s authorities were not planning any widespread shutdown.

The city authorities are focusing on improving local healthcare capacity to deal with outbreaks, in line with the spirit of Government’s Directive 128 on safe, flexible adaptation to the pandemic.

The Hà Nội Party Committee requested the Hà Nội People’s Committee to direct the arrangement of mobile medical stations, strengthening the grassroots medical capacity to respond to all outbreak scenarios and levels, to avoid being ‘taken by surprise.’

The first order of business is to address problems and policies related to purchasing medical supplies and diagnostic machines to ramp up testing capacity, as well as policies on sufficient compensation for healthcare workers and other volunteers taking part in the COVID-19 response.

Dũng said that the whole political system as well as the public must “engage with determination in efforts to protect the capital city against the pandemic," and especially remain cautious and careful during upcoming holidays like Christmas and New Year’s Eve to avoid massive spreading of the virus.

The city has seen a record-breaking number of daily new COVID-19 infections in recent days, hitting over 1,000 confirmed cases on Tuesday, to lead the country in terms of daily transmissions, the first time it has done so since the beginning of the fourth wave starting in April this year.

The city still upholds some restrictions such as closures of schools in most grades, spas, karaokes and disco venues. Restaurants and cafes must close by 9pm.

The urban district of Đống Đa on Monday had to order temporary halting of on-site dining, outdoor exercises and in-person learning, as its COVID-19 outbreak escalated.

As of Wednesday, Hà Nội had nearly 11,000 active COVID-19 patients, with mobile medical stations in charge of over 2,800 cases and other cases under home care, accounting for about 37 per cent of the total.

According to the National COVID-19 Vaccine Portal, over 90 per cent of Hà Nội’s adult population has received the full two doses of vaccine. — VNS