Vietnam has widened lockdown measures in its industrialized north in an effort to contain its biggest Covid outbreak to date, APA reports quoting Reuters.
The health ministry announced 457 new Covid-19 infections on Tuesday, the biggest jump since the 190 cases seen on 16 May, driven by clusters in factory zones in two northern provinces.
Bac Ninh, home to production facilities of Samsung Electronics, started a curfew and other travel restrictions from Tuesday, according to state media.
That followed the temporary closure of four industrial parks, including three with Foxconn facilities, by authorities in neighbouring Bac Giang province.
Bac Ninh and Bac Giang are the epicentre of the new outbreak that has infected more than 2,800 people since late April.
Authorities say the outbreak, which accounts for nearly half of Vietnam’s overall cases, has spread to more than 30 of its 63 cities and provinces.
On Tuesday, the capital, Hanoi, which has recorded 220 cases since late April, closed restaurants and banned gatherings at public areas, including physical exercises in parks.
Vietnam has reported at least 5,860 infections in total, with 44 deaths. It has yet to start mass inoculations against the coronavirus, with about 1m doses of vaccines administered so far.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
