HANOI (REUTERS, XINHUA) - Vietnam's business hub Ho Chi Minh City will begin social distancing measures in the city for 15 days starting from May 31 in an effort to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper reported on Sunday (May 30).

"All events that gather more than 10 people in public are banned city-wide, but the city is considering to lower the number of people to just five," Tuoi Tre newspaper reported. "While all citizens of Go Vap district are not allowed to go out if not necessary," the report added.

Ho Chi Minh City earlier this week shut down shops and restaurants.

Vietnam reported 52 new Covid-19 cases from 6pm local time Saturday to 6am Sunday, raising the total confirmed cases in the country to 6,908, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new infections, which are all community transmissions, include 35 in the northern epidemic hotspot Bac Giang province, six in the nearby northern Bac Ninh province, 10 in the southern Ho Chi Minh City, and one in the northern Hai Phong city.

All of them are contacts of previously confirmed patients or linked to the clusters of infections in the localities.

Nationwide, as many as 2,896 patients have recovered.

As of Sunday morning, Vietnam has recorded a total of 5,406 domestically transmitted cases, including 3,836 detected since the start of the latest outbreak in late April.