The move followed the infections related to a Japanese man who tested positive for Covid-19 after he had died at a local hotel.
The city has also closed all local historical relics from 0:00 on February 16, said Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee and head of the municipal Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control Chu Xuan Dung.
The 54-year-old Japanese patient, an expert of Mitsui Vietnam Co., Ltd, entered Vietnam on January 17 via Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. After two tests which showed negative results, on February 1, he flew to Hanoi and stayed at the Somerset Westpoint Hotel.
Around 7pm on February 13, he was found dead in his hotel room. His sample tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 on February 14. The cause of his death is under investigation.
Two people who had come into close contact with him have also tested positive for the virus. One is a Japanese 43-year-old man and the other is a woman in Hanoi.
Dung cited the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control as saying that the city is facing the high risk of Covid-19 infection related to the 54-year-old Japanese patient.
Concerned agencies in Hanoi are working urgently and drastically to screen F1 and F2 cases of him, he said.
Nguyen Khac Hien, director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said many people still do not wear a face mask in public places. Meanwhile, people gather in crowds. He urged for stricter punishment for those violating guidance.
