Customers are seen at a coffee shop in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, November 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

 

HCMC will allow restaurants and coffee shops to resume on-site dining Thursday after five months of restrictions. Alcohol can be served in two districts reports VN Express.

 

All facilities must close before 9 p.m. and only serve 50 percent of their normal customer capacity, according to a decision issued Wednesday by deputy chairwoman Phan Thi Thang.

 

Alcoholic beverages cannot be served, except at wedding halls and tourist facilities.

 

District 7 and Thu Duc City can serve alcohol in regular restaurants under a pilot scheme until Nov. 15. Authorities of the two districts will decide the areas for implementing the scheme.

 

HCMC on Oct. 24 announced the Covid-19 risks level in twenty-two districts. Under a four-level ranking scheme, with Level 1 being the safest, there are nine districts under Level 1, 12 under Level 2, and one under Level 3.

 

Thousands of food and beverage facilities in the city have been hit hard by the prolonged closures and restriction periods. The revenue of food and beverage establishments in first eight months fell 20 percent year-on-year to VND32.07 trillion ($1.41 billion) because of social distancing.

 

HCMC has recorded over 428,000 Covid-19 cases since the end of April, when the nation was hit by the fourth wave.

Over 78 percent of the city’s population have been fully vaccinated.

22 minutes ago, ASEAN NOW News said:

District 7 and Thu Duc City can serve alcohol in regular restaurants under a pilot scheme until Nov. 15.

good news for tourists wanting to stay in Ho Chi Min ....    I'm coming soon   !!