Hanoi yet to consider city lockdown: Mayor

Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung of the Hanoi People’s Committee has refuted rumors on social media saying that the city will be placed under lockdown and affirmed that the Covid-19 pandemic is still under control here.

Chairman Nguyen Duc Chung of the Hanoi People’s Committee

The ongoing influx of overseas Vietnamese and foreigners from pandemic-hit regions has increased the number of coronavirus infections in Hanoi recently. All information on the pandemic situation in the city has been made public to its citizens, Chung told local media on Friday.

The city will continue to aggressively take further measures to curb the spread of the virus and ensure the safety of its citizens, affirmed Chung, who head the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

He added that neither National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control nor Hanoi’s corresponding committee have decided on such a lockdown.

At a meeting on March 19, operators of retail chains in the city told the mayor that they had sufficient stock to meet demands of Hanoi, and had worked with suppliers to ensure supply in any case.

Addressing that meeting, Chung called for calm and affirmed no need to panic buy or hoard foodstuffs.

Supermarkets and stores in the city is totally capable of meeting demand for basic necessities of its citizens in any situation and with no price hike.

He also ordered local transport authorities to create the best conditions for suppliers to bring goods into the city.

As of March 19, Hanoi reported 24 Covid-19 patients and thousands of people are under quarantine at concentrated establishments and at home. It confirmed the first case on March 6.