The Difference Between Directive 15, Directive 16, and Directive 19

As the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve, social distancing measures have been a key topic of discussion for the government of Ho Chi Minh City. During a meeting on the morning of [date], Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Thanh Phong, directed the implementation of social distancing across the entire city according to Directive 15, with Go Vap district and Thanh Loc ward (in District 12) following the stricter Directive 16.

Many residents are still unsure about what these directives entail. Let’s explore and clarify the differences between Directives 15, 16, and 19 in this article.

1What is Social Distancing According to Directive 15?

On March 27, 2020, the Prime Minister issued Directive 15/CT-TTg, which outlined measures to prevent gatherings of more than 20 people in a room. Here are the key points:

• Suspend all meetings and events with gatherings of more than 20 people in a room.
• No gatherings of more than 10 people outside workplaces, schools, and hospitals.
• Maintain a minimum distance of 2 meters between people in public places.
• Suspend all religious ceremonies and activities with gatherings of more than 20 people at religious, faith, and worship facilities.
• Stop all cultural, sports, and entertainment activities in public places.
• Temporarily suspend non-essential business operations. Only essential goods and services providers are allowed to remain open.
• Restrict movement from epidemic areas to other localities.
• Limit passenger transport from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to other places.
• Temporarily suspend or reorganize public passenger transport to limit travel and gatherings, except for goods transport vehicles.

2What is Social Distancing According to Directive 16?

On March 31, 2020, the Prime Minister issued Directive 16/CT-TTg, which enhanced social distancing measures to a higher level. Here are the key points:

• Family isolation: Each family isolates itself from other families; each village isolates itself from other villages; each commune isolates itself from other communes; each district isolates itself from other districts; each province isolates itself from other provinces.
• Workshops and factories must ensure safe distances between workers, provide masks, and perform disinfection according to regulations.
• People should stay at home and only go out for essential needs like buying food, medicine, or in case of an emergency.
• Maintain a minimum distance of 2 meters during social interactions and do not gather in groups of more than 2 people outside workplaces, schools, hospitals, and public places.
• Suspend public passenger transport, except for essential cases such as official duties, transportation of workers and experts, quarantine cases, and transportation of raw materials and goods. Minimize the use of private vehicles.

Social distancing according to Directive 16 is the highest level of restrictions implemented so far.

Thus, it can be understood that social distancing according to Directive 16 represents the highest level of restrictions imposed so far to effectively combat the pandemic.

3What is Social Distancing According to Directive 19?

On April 24, 2020, the Prime Minister issued Directive 19/CT-TTg, three weeks after the initial social distancing period, to call for continued implementation of pandemic prevention measures, but with some relaxation. Here are the key points:

• Suspend festivals, religious ceremonies, sporting events, and other activities that gather large crowds.
• Avoid gatherings in public places, outside offices, hospitals, and schools.
• For provinces and centrally-run cities with high risks: Do not gather in groups of more than 20 people in public places outside offices, schools, and hospitals. Maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter during social interactions. It is recommended that people stay at home unless necessary and follow pandemic prevention measures.
• For provinces and centrally-run cities with low risks: Do not gather in groups of more than 30 people in public places outside offices, schools, and hospitals. Maintain a minimum distance of 1 meter during social interactions. Encourage people to stay at home unless necessary and follow pandemic prevention measures.
• Temporarily suspend non-essential businesses like karaoke, bars, massage parlors, beauty salons, and nightclubs. Allow the reopening of restaurants, eateries, hotels, wholesale and retail businesses, etc.
• Resume inter-provincial and intra-provincial passenger transport services.
• Passenger transport by air must comply with specific regulations to ensure the safety of passengers.

Infographic summarizing the differences between Directives 15, 16, and 19 issued by the Prime Minister

Infographic summarizing the differences between the three Directives

This article has provided insights into the social distancing directives issued by the Prime Minister. Let’s join hands and comply with the government’s regulations to successfully push back the COVID-19 pandemic.