Bắc Giang City has lifted social distancing from Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

BẮC GIANG – Bắc Giang City, in the province hit hardest by the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19, has ended social distancing from 6am on Thursday after more than a month of applying the measures.

Lê Ánh Dương, chairman of the provincial People's Committee, said the committee has delegated local authorities in districts and Bắc Giang City to make their own decision on the reopening of commercial and service activities based on the actual situation in each locality.

According to the Bắc Giang City’s People’s Committee, the city would continue banning religious activities, festivals or ceremonies and sports tournaments. Public gatherings and religious, belief and worship facilities would also be stopped.

Restaurants would begin operating at 50 per cent capacity while street food stalls would not be allowed to operate. Entertainment services such as beauty salons, karaoke venues and gyms would still be closed.

Bắc Giang Province had applied social distancing since May 19 when it became the hot spot of the pandemic with hundreds of new cases reported every day.

Figures from the provincial Centre for Disease Control showed that the number of new cases has decreased in the past several days. On Wednesday, the province reported 11 cases and three more cases on Thursday morning.

Most of the new cases were involved in the outbreak of Bằng Công Village, Kiên Thành Commune in Lục Ngạn District, which were already in quarantine.

The centre forecast there would be new cases in the next days, but not many.

The province has switched from lockdown to social distancing in Yên Thế, Lục Nam, Lạng Giang, Hiệp Hoà and Yên Dũng districts. Currently, only Việt Yên District is under lockdown.

Chairman of the provincial authority Dương has asked localities to carry out the dual task of pandemic containment and economic development. 

Particularly in Lục Ngạn District, it was necessary to trace and take samples of suspected COVID-19 cases for testing in the community, and create conditions for farmers to sell lychee.

The province would give full support so that the district would bring the pandemic under control by June 30.

Việt Yên District would continue disinfection in Núi Hiển Village and build accommodation for workers.

The province targeted to have no new infection cases by the end of this month and resume business operations from July 1. VNS