HCMC allows bars, cinemas to reopen again

[ASEAN NOW News]

Customers line up to buy tickets at a cinema in HCMC's District 1, May 2020. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

 

HCMC has allowed venues like bars, cinemas, and massage parlors to resume full operation in certain areas, while bike ride-hailing services can operate at half their capacity from Tuesday reported VN Express.

 

As per a decision signed by city chairman Phan Van Mai, the "non-essential" businesses, also including night clubs, spas, and karaoke parlors, can fully reopen if they are in low-risk areas. The infection risk level is determined based on an area's vaccination rate and the number of infections per population.

 

In areas with medium risk, they can operate at half of their capacity and in high-risk areas, they must keep the operation scale at 25 percent of their capacity.

 

All staff must be either fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19 within six months.

 

Customers and participants can use the services under the same condition, or with a negative test result done within 72 hours.

 

Very high-risk areas are not allowed to resume these services.

 

Karaoke and massage parlors, bars, and night clubs in HCMC have been closed for around half a year now.

There are around 680 of them in the city.

 

Areas with low risk are districts 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Phu Nhuan, Tan Phu, Tan Binh, and Binh Chanh districts.

 

Those designated with medium risk are districts 3, 10, 11, 12, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Hoc Mon, Cu Chi, Go Vap, Nha Be and Thu Duc City.

 

Can Gio is the only district with high risk. No area in HCMC is considered to be at very high risk now.

 

Bike ride-hailing services

 

The city chairman also allowed bike ride-hailing services to operate at half their capacity.

 

They can resume full operation when the city is at low Covid-risk but must suspend operation when the city is at high risk. It is now at medium risk.

 

Traditional motorbike taxi drivers can only operate when the city is at low risk level.

 

Street vendors, including lottery ticket vendors, can work in low-risk wards or communes.

 

Those working in medium-risk areas must be fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19. They cannot work in high-risk areas.

 

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