HANOI, Sept 3 (Reuters) – Vietnam’s coronavirus epicenter Ho Chi Minh City, which has kept residents confined at home under lockdown, is considering reopening economic activity from September 15, shifting from a “zero COVID-19” strategy to a policy of living with the virus. Ho Chi Minh City last month deployed troops to enforce its lockdown and prohibited residents from leaving their homes to slow a spiraling rate of deaths. Ho Chi Minh City alone has recorded 241,110 coronavirus infections and 9,974 deaths, representing half of the country’s cases and 80 percent of its fatalities. read moreThe health ministry on Friday called on recovered COVID-19 patients to help the city battle the epidemic. Editing by Martin Petty and Peter GraffIMAGE: Customers search for food on near empty shelves that were depleted due to panic buying amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam August 21, 2021.

Source: Egypt Independent September 03, 2021 13:50 UTC