Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung announced the decision at a meeting on the latest Covid-19 outbreak on February 1.

All non-essential services, including internet and online game centers must be temporarily closed. All eateries are required to disinfect their space regularly, arrange seats to ensure social distancing and ask all staff to wear face masks.

Mr. Dung tasked relevant units to continue strictly isolating Covid-19 cases, focusing on tracing F3. They should be proactive in all situations, enhancing Covid-19 testing capacity and early confirming F1 cases who are tested negative with coronavirus so as to avoid confusion among the people.

Earlier, bars, karaoke parlors, and discotheques in Ha Noi were shut down from February 1 to contain the spreading of the novel coronavirus.

All schools in Ha Noi from kindergarten level will close between February 1 and February 16 for the same reason .

The latest Covid-19 wave with 20 community transmissions in the capital city and 238 across the country in the last four days has come right before the Lunar New Year (Tet ), Viet N am's biggest holiday.

Hoang Duc Hanh, deputy director of the Ha Noi Health Department reported that Ha Noi confirmed 19 infections. The number of people who had close contacts known as F1 are 412 and have been identified. Over 2,000 others who have contacts with F1 were also verified.

Mr. Hanh stressed that the virus has been transmitted more easily in public vehicles./.

By Kim Loan