Teachers in Hải Phòng City clean a classroom on Wednesday in preparation to welcome back their students. — VNA/VNS Photo An Đăng

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam reported no new cases of COVID-19 in the past 12 hours.

The total tally of patients has remained at 268 for six and a half days since April 15.

The 252nd patient, a six-year-old boy returning from Cambodia on April 8, was discharged from Tây Ninh Province General Hospital on Wednesday afternoon, raising the number of recoveries in Việt Nam to 223.

Social distancing restrictions will be eased in Hà Nội as Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc agreed on Wednesday afternoon to downgrade the city from the COVID-19 high-risk group to medium-risk.

Earlier in the morning, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Control and Prevention proposed keeping Hà Nội in the high-risk group and have social distancing orders maintained until April 30.

Hà Nội authorities have asked to place the city in the medium-risk group so it can kick-start its economy while keeping preventive measures to avoid disease transmission.

Some of Hà Nội’s districts will still be classified as high-risk and further measures will be carried out to ensure safety in these areas.

Currently, the medium-risk category includes HCM City, Bắc Ninh, Hà Giang and Hà Nội and 59 other localities are placed in the low-risk group.

Trần Đắc Phu, former head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine and senior expert of the Việt Nam Public Health Emergency Operation Centre, on Wednesday said people should keep maintaining protective measures, even in low-risk localities to prevent the disease spreading.

For students who start returning to schools after an extended closure, Phu recommended parents and schools to provide them with antiseptic handwash and soap.

PM Phúc tasked the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education and Training to collaborate to develop safety guidelines for educational institutes, focusing on different stakeholders including teachers, parents and students.

Universities and schools with dormitories are asked to practise good hygiene to curb disease transmission.

Provinces and cities hosting industrial zones are responsible for raising public awareness of COVID-19 and ensuring safety for workers. — VNS