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The
scramble for purchases is hurting efforts in the nation's
largest city to contain the spiralling COVID-19 outbreak, said
the official Vietnam News Agency.
Long queues of people were seen outside markets and shelves at
supermarkets in Ho Chi Minh City were emptying on Saturday,
witnesses and state media said.
"It's looking chaotic," said a person who gave her name only as
Nguyen in the city's District 2.
"Too many people are rushing out to buy food and essential stuff
for their hard days ahead," she told Reuters. "I have managed to
by some food, as I don't want to die from hunger before dying
from coronavirus."
Vietnam said on Friday it would also deploy troops in the
city to enforce the lockdown and deliver food supplies to
citizens, as the city turns to drastic measures to slow a
spiralling rate of coronavirus deaths.
Vietnam has recorded 323,000 coronavirus infections and 7,540
deaths, with Ho Chi Minh City accounting for more than half of
the cases and 80% of the fatalities, according to the health
ministry.
"The city is ready with measures to supply food and essential
goods for the residents," Phan Van Mai, deputy head of the
city's coronavirus task force was quoted as saying.
Vietnam's ruling Communist Party on Friday announced a decision
to replace Nguyen Thanh Phong as chairman of the city's People's
Committee. It did not give a reason, but analysts cited his poor
handling of the outbreak.
(Editing by William Mallard)
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