Hanoi authorities have decreed the mandatory return of masks for public transport users and workers in some sectors from today, due to an increase in covid-19 cases in the Vietnamese city.
In a Tuesday evening dispatch, quoted today by the VnExpress portal, authorities in Vietnam’s capital announced that the mask is once again mandatory for employees working in close contact with the public.
The measure, which had been dropped in September, covers those working in supermarkets, shopping centres, cinemas, bars, karaoke bars, restaurants, massage centres, hairdressing salons, theatres, as well as those in contact with tourists.
The decision was made following a rise in cases of covid-19 in Hanoi in recent days, with an average of 96 infections detected daily and with at least 146 patients hospitalised, 20 of them seriously, also according to VnExpress.
The Hanoi Health Department confirmed on Monday the detection of the highly contagious Omicron subvariant XBB.19.1, which has so far not been found in the country.
Vietnam managed to contain the pandemic in the early months of 2020, with almost no infections or deaths, but suffered a strong wave in 2021 that forced long lockdowns in major cities.
Since the start of the pandemic, the Asian country has recorded more than 11.5 million infections, with 43,186 deaths from the disease.
