HANOI -- The extension of the epic COVID-19 lockdown in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City until the end of September risks further social and economic costs in the nation's largest city, which despite the harsh restrictions has failed to put the pandemic under control.
City leaders on Wednesday said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh approved their proposal to extend the lockdown beyond the original Sept. 15 deadline. Citizens and businesses, including foreign companies, in the metropolis are now in their 109th day of a lockdown that has been in place since May 31.
