The Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has outlined a plan for distributing goods to local residents in accordance with the new COVID-19 zoning scheme.

Hanoi has set up additional 39 checkpoints to tighten social distancing rules at 15 districts which are reporting high numbers of Covid-19 infections.

Hanoi will divide localities into three zones for the application of different COVID-19 prevention and control measures starting from September 6.

Covid-19 cases have been found in all 30 districts of Hanoi. Experts say Hanoi is still at a high risk with hotbeds likely to break out with a high number of infections.

Despite the air quality in many central and southern localities showing signs of improvement, several northern provinces saw elevated levels of air pollution on September 3, that could seriously impact human health.

Me Linh district in Hanoi has been using drones to monitor people in isolated areas to ensure that people "stay where they are”.

Strict, social distancing measures will continue in the capital city after September 6, as authorities announce plans to introduce a new zonal system to curb the spread of COVID-19.

If the number of newly detected Covid-19 cases in the community continues to increase and the people's awareness about observance of social distancing rules does not improve, Hanoi may have to extend social distancing after September 6.

Around 1,200 residents living in Hanoi's Thanh Xuan District have been evacuated from their homes after the capital's biggest COVID cluster was detected.

Social distancing is one of the most important solutions to control the Covid-19 pandemic in Hanoi while waiting for expansion of vaccination coverage, according to Nguyen Viet Hung, Deputy Chair of the Hanoi Infection Control Association.

The authorities of Thanh Xuan District in Hanoi have set up a front-line command post for Covid-19 prevention and control in an isolated area on Nguyen Trai Street in Thanh Xuan Trung Ward.

“All the people in isolated areas must be considered F1 cases (contacts of infected people) and they must be tested. Those who refuse testing must be taken away to concentrated quarantine,” said Hanoi Mayor Chu Ngoc Anh.

The capital of Hanoi is at high risk of recording an increase in the number COVID-19 cases within the community as it has many densely populated alleys and streets, as well as crowded residential areas, according to experts.

At the foot of Long Bien Bridge, the Phao (Float) hamlet, or hamlet of the poor, is experiencing tough days because of the pandemic.

The capital city of Hanoi has decided to donate 5,000 tonnes of rice to Ho Chi Minh City and 1,000 tonnes to the southern province of Binh Duong.

Organizing birthday parties online, practicing exercise at home, and ordering food delivery are some of the ways Hanoians are adapting to new circumstances under social distancing.

On average, Hanoi detected one F0 case out of 10,000 people in the first three days of the capital city’s large-scale covid-19 testing campaign. 

Rapid urbanisation have led to increasing demand for housing and infrastructure. Consequently, ponds and lakes across the city have been filled to make room for construction.

The stormy season is starting in Hanoi and residents are increasingly concerned about flooding during heavy rain.

From August 9 to 17, Hanoi will provide 1.3 million tests using the RT-PCR technique, and 2 million rapid tests in an aim to screen and isolate Covid-19 pathogens from the community as quickly as possible.