HCMC Book Street (Photo: SGGP)
The Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of HCMC has issued a set of criteria to support safe operations while preventing Covid-19 at production and business facilities in the city. Offices and businesses need to meet these evaluation criteria to be able to operate again.
Accordingly, the book street must ensure employees and customers are fully vaccinated. Besides, publishers’ employees who received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine have to prepare commodities, clean and disinfect their commercial spaces at the book street before reopening, said the director.
HCMC Book Street has temporarily suspended all operations since May 28. The reading venue took advantage of social distancing measures to upgrade and repair its works that are becoming seriously deteriorated after five years of operation.
The city street book‘s management board has also built more facilities, such as an open space of reading and book exhibition.
The Vietnam Publishers Association-HCMC branch has earlier proposed the municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control to allow the printing and publishing industry to reopen under strict Covid-19 rules starting on October 1.
HCMC is the country’s largest market of the printing and publishing industry. The reopening and activity resumption of publishers, book stores, and stationery and office supplies businesses are regarded as a hopeful signal in the crisis.
Deputy Director cum Editor-in-chief of the Kim Dong Publishing House Vu Thi Quynh Lien said that the HCMC market accounts for around 60 percent of Kim Dong Publishing House’ revenue. The Kim Dong book center and the publisher’s book stall in the book street have yet reopened to the public because they are completing requirements for Covid-19 infection prevention and control.
In addition, the Tre (Youth) Publisher plans to reopen it stall at the city book street and a book store located at the No.157 Ly Chinh Thang Street in District 3 on October 4. The company has finished evaluation criteria for safe business operation and done much preparation for reopening, said Director of the Tre (Youth) Publisher Phan Thi Thu Ha.
The Nha Nam Publishing and Communications Joint Stock Company has closed many its book stores during the social distancing period. The company reopened eight stores in Hanoi from September 17. At that time, the Ca Chep Bookstore in the capital also reopened after two-month halt.
Seven bookstores in Hanoi and three others in Da Nang City of the Kim Dong Publishing House restarted their operation from September 21. The company earlier closed 13 book shops across the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
