The municipal Party Committee’s Board for Information and Education said the decision was made as the city’s COVID-19 situation remains very complex, so COVID-19 measures must be tightened to achieve the highest possible results as the government has requested HCM City to keep the virus at bay before September 15. HCM City, Vietnam’s current largest COVID-19 hotspot, has so far recorded over 164,000 infections. The city will also redouble efforts to care for COVID-19 patients, particularly those in critical conditions, and minimise fatalities. It will continue conducting mass testing at very high-risk areas and accelerate COVID-19 vaccination rollout. The city has also come up with plans to ensure adequate supplies of necessities to people during the time of heightening COVID-19 rules./.