The directive says eight groups of businesses and services and the types of organizations are allowed to operate as of October 1, including:

1. State agencies, political, socio-political and professional organizations, central agencies located in Ho Chi Minh City. Heads of these agencies and organizations will decide on the number of employees going to the office according to the regulations of the HCM City People's Committee and the Ministry of Health’s criteria for safety in Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control.

2. Consular offices, international organizations and foreign economic-cultural offices shall decide on working methods in accordance with their characteristics and meeting regulations on measures to prevent and control Covid-19 epidemic of the HCM City People's Committee and the Ministry of Health.

3. Public and private medical examination and treatment establishments; establishments trading in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, medical supplies and equipment.

4. Production, trade, business and service activities, including the following 14 groups:

- Enterprises in industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, Quang Trung Software Park, industrial clusters and in districts and Thu Duc City.

- Enterprises, commercial and service cooperatives, cooperatives, cooperative groups, households engaged in agricultural, forestry and fishery production and business; agricultural production support services, veterinary establishments, veterinary practioners.

- Traffic and construction works.

- Business, trade - service activities including: Supply of food and foodstuffs; trade centers, supermarkets, mini supermarkets; convenience stores, grocery stores; wholesale markets, traditional markets; gasoline, oil, gas, chemicals; electricity; water supply; fuel; materials; service of buying, selling, repairing and maintaining vehicles, machinery, civil and industrial equipment; services of management, operation, maintenance, repair and application of infrastructure systems and equipment of agencies, buildings and apartments.

- Public utility services; security services; toll stations; construction consulting services; environmental sanitation; environmental monitoring and treatment services; employment services; wedding services; car wash; funeral services; public utility services such as water supply and drainage, parks, trees, technical infrastructure, transportation.

- Operation of offices, representative offices of domestic and foreign enterprises, branches of foreign traders in Ho Chi Minh City.

Credit institutions, foreign bank branches, treasury, service providers related to credit activities, logistics and supporting businesses and people (notary, law services, asset auction, valuation consultancy, auditing, financial services, commercial arbitration, commercial mediation, legal advice, judicial expertise, management liquidation of assets, registration, registration of security transactions, registration of land changes), securities; pawn service.

- Post and telecommunications; printing, publishing, press; e-commerce activities, online delivery services; calendar business; bookstores, office equipment; book streets; libraries, galleries, art exhibitions, photography; school supplies; Information Technology; informatics equipment; electronics shop; eyewear stores; fashion and apparel stores; gold, silver, gems and jewelry shops.

- Storage warehouses, goods gathering and transshipment points, support services for transporting, exporting and importing goods.

- Food service establishments (take-away); restaurants in tourist sites are allowed to serve on-site guests, not in the form of buffets.

- Business establishments providing hairdressing services are allowed to operate at maximum 50% of their capacity.

- Trade promotion activities including fairs, exhibitions, conferences, events connecting supply and demand, product consumption (must meet certain conditions on pandemic prevention).

- Accommodation establishments, resorts, tourist attractions and other services serving visitors may operate at up to 50% of their capacity provided that they meet the criteria on anti-epidemic.

- Other activities must be permitted by the competent authority.

5. Cultural, art, physical training and sports activities: Museum tours are allowed to operate on the condition that they meet the set of criteria for assessing safety for epidemic prevention and control, each group of visitors are limited up to 10 people at a time; Cultural, art, physical training, sports, and competition performance events have up to 70 participants, provided that 100% of them have fully vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19.

People's daily physical exercise and health training activities are allowed, if they operate in groups of up to 15 people. If 100% of participants have been vaccinated fully with two vaccine doses or recovered from Covid-19, the scale is up to 100 people.

Funerals and weddings are limited to a maximum of 20 people at a time.

6. Educational and training activities: Continue to organize indirect teaching and learning, on the internet environment, via television; step by step consolidating the conditions to be able to combine online and direct teaching - learning. Types of training for people who have been vaccinated fully if they ensure criteria on safe epidemic prevention.

7. The activities of religious, belief and worship establishments can gather up to 10 people and up to 70 people if participants have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.

8. Outdoor and indoor group activities:

- Indoor activities (meetings, training, seminars,) with a maximum of 10 people and up to 70 if participants have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19.

- Outdoor activities with a maximum of 15 people and up to 100 people if participants have been fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid-19.

- Other cases must be approved by the competent authority.

4 groups of businesses and services continue to be suspended

- Events: culture, art, religion, belief, meetings, launching ceremonies, except for cases permitted by the competent authorities.

- Business activities and services: bars, spas, massages, beauty services, on-site catering services, cinemas, discos, karaoke, video games.

- Street vendors, street ticket sellers.

- Operations of other production, business and service establishments, except for cases in which the operation is permitted specified in Appendix 3.

Ho Van - Thu Anh

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