On 15 September 2021, the leadership of Ho Chi Minh City announced that they will be extending the social distancing in Ho Chi Minh City until 30 September 2021. The social distancing will continue to be under the conditions set forth in the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16 and other specific restrictions already in place. The goal is to have 80% of the city vaccinated by that time, though it is difficult to tell whether that will be possible given current vaccine availability. This extension will hopefully allow the number of community transmissions to fall until the city reaches herd immunity.
Under existing restrictions, Ho Chi Minh City has imposed a curfew between 18:00 and 6:00 in which only emergency vehicles will be allowed on the streets, and even during the day travel between districts and wards within the city is restricted.
Indochine Counsel continues to curtail its in-person activities pursuant to the directions of the authorities though we are still available for remote services as outlined previously.
Background
At Indochine Counsel we have been closely following the developments of the Covid-19 virus, as the fourth outbreak has hit Vietnam and particularly Ho Chi Minh City and nearby provinces. On 8 July, the leaders of the City instructed all localities to implement the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated 31 March 2020 on implementation of urgent measures for prevention and control of Covid-19 calling for individual and organizational responsibility in dealing with the outbreak. Accordingly, Ho Chi Minh City been in a citywide lockdown since 0:00 AM, 9 July 2021.
Directive No. 16 is the strictest social distancing protocol in Vietnam. It requires all residents to remain at home and only to go out in case of necessities such as to obtain food or medicines. Travel between localities is restricted. Only essential workers will be allowed to travel to their places of work. Public transportation is temporarily suspended reaching even ride hailing and motorbike taxi drivers. Distances of two meters must be kept between people in public and gatherings greater than two people are prohibited. While this social distancing is strict, the city’s government has also put in place measures to ensure the supply chain to the city is preserved and that no one goes hungry or lacks necessary supplies.
For nearly three months now, Indochine Counsel has gone to a flexible work from home mode. The majority of our staff is working from home while a small skeleton crew is stationed at our office to handle correspondence and other tasks that require in-person actions. We are doing everything in our power to limit those possibilities and to protect every one of our stakeholders from infection.
That said, though we may not be working in our office, we are still working, and our efforts to build your business and your investments in Vietnam remain as critical to our frame of mind as ever. Please feel free to remain in contact with the partner in charge of your matter or with any of the lawyers you usually work with. We will be regularly responding to email and striving to, once again, earn your recognition of us as one of the most responsive firms in Vietnam.
We appreciate your patience in this volatile situation, and hope we can work through this with you and for you. We remain committed to delivering quality legal services despite these trying times and look forward to helping you to grow your business here in Vietnam.
We wish you and your beloved ones good health in these uncertain times !
