A police officer checks a man's travel papers at a COVID-19 checkpoint in HCM city’s Phu Nhuan District on August 20, 2021. (Photo: VnExpress/Quynh Tran)

Starting Monday, August 23, the city will tighten its coronavirus restrictions, requiring people to "stay where they are," isolating homes from homes, streets from streets and wards from wards.

In this scenario, the city has issued travel permits for 11 groups to perform their functions outdoors.

One group comprises members of the community epidemic prevention and control team, medical staff and medical support forces participating in the fight against epidemics, people going into isolation and returning from quarantine, and civil servants.

Police and military forces will rotate shifts to man checkpoints and epidemic control stations and coordinate forces and patrol teams accordingly; staff on duty to support diplomatic activities as well as employees of consular and diplomatic missions to perform unscheduled tasks (with specific time and proposals) will also be allowed to go out.

Support and rescue forces directly under the coordination of the Ho Chi Minh city Fatherland Front Committee, including charity groups, charity kitchens, volunteer forces and others can perform the activities.

People working in the essential fields of finance like banking and securities, employees for transportation industry enterprises, environmental sanitation staff and those engaged in funeral activities can move around the city.

Shippers, except for Thu Duc city and Districts 8, 12, Go Vap, Binh Tan, Binh Thanh, Binh Chanh and Hoc Mon, can also perform their duties. Delivery drivers of units providing food, meals, equipment and medical supplies for epidemic prevention as well as service staff of utilities like electricity distribution and repairs can get travel permits.

Another group allowed to be out includes: construction industry employees in areas like plumbing and maintenance of parks; technical staff for infrastructure and equipment maintenance responding to agencies in these areas, as well as for buildings and apartments; and those working in manufacturing, import and export industries as well as petrol and gas stations.

Those involved in telecommunications services, reporters, forces providing state postal services, notary services and companies that provide security services are also allowed to go out.

The staff of hotels and motels serving as quarantine facilities, including staff of accommodation facilities serving to isolate foreigners, medical staff and others under the management of the Department of Tourism form another group that can function amid the tightened restrictions.

People going to the emergency room for periodical medical examination and treatment and those going to get their Covid-19 vaccination shots can go out.

Employees and owners of food production establishments (bread, tofu, vermicelli, noodles...) and industrial catering establishments can do their work while people in the safe "green zones" can go to the market once a week in their area (not outside).

Insurance companies (only performing activities related to assessment, compiling claims and settling insurance benefits for customers) can function, with staff only allowed to go out to collect dossiers and return to the office immediately after.

The city has assigned the heads of departments and local administrations to issue road permits to officials, employees and employees of the units under their management. The issuing agencies must notify the number to the city police for inspection and supervision.

HCM city, epicenter of Vietnam's fourth coronavirus wave, has so far recorded 171,801 local cases and 5,939 deaths.

The city of 13 million has undergone a series of social distancing orders, with the latest one being extended until September 15. People are also banned from going out between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next day, except in certain cases like medical emergencies.

The government has said it wants HCMC to get the coronavirus situation under control by September 15.