A third of Viets under stay-at-home orders

HANOI: About a third of Vietnam’s 100 million people must now stay home as multiple southern provinces went under Covid-19 lockdown on Monday.

The restrictions come a day after nearly 6,000 new infections were reported over 24 hours, a record for Vietnam.

Residents in the capital Hanoi were also asked – but not ordered – to remain at home, and all nonessential shops and services were forced to close. Gatherings of more than five people in public places are banned.

“The order from Hanoi authorities came so suddenly,” said resident Nguyen Thanh Van.

“But I fully agree with it. We’d rather they come down hard to avoid a similar scenario to Ho Chi Minh City.

“We won in the previous battles. But this is a hard one.”

Business hub Ho Chi Minh City – where most new infections have been recorded – and the nearby Binh Duong and Dong Nai provinces have been in lockdown for more than a week.