Hanoi, Oct 14 (IANS): From Thursday onwards, the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi will allow more activities to restart, including indoor dining and drinking, as well as public transportation, the municipal government announced.

According to a circular on the issue, in order to reopen, restaurants, cafes and bars must guarantee that their owners and employees have all been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and can only allow half of their capacity and maintain a safe distance between seats, reports Xinhua news agency.

Museums and parks will reopen to serve individuals and groups of no more than 10 people, as most other businesses will also resume normal operation on Thursday as long as they strictly implement epidemic prevention and control measures, said the circular.

Hanoi has been easing its Covid-19 restrictions since September 21 after nearly two months under strict social distancing orders, with salons and traditional markets first allowed to resume operation.

Over the past 10 days, the average of daily new cases in the city went under 10, despite over 4,000 registered since the latest wave of the pandemic started in late April, according to the municipal health department.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic early last year, Vietnam has so far registered 849,691 Covid-19 cases and 20,869 deaths.