Vietnam to shut down lotteries to reduce risk of pandemic spread

Lottery tickets in the hand of a seller in Hoi An Town, central Quang Nam Province. Photo by Shutterstock/Worldpics.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a proposal by the Ministry of Finance to temporarily stop all activities related to lotteries, games and casinos.

Deputy Minister of Finance Do Hoang Anh Tuan said the order would mean lottery ticket sellers have to stop going around town to sell, reducing the possibility of transmitting the virus.

The PM said officials need to come up with plans to support those low-income people during the ban period.

The government has ordered a shutdown of all "non-essential" businesses nationwide from March 28 to April 15 amid the increasingly fraught Covid-19 situation.

Vietnam has so far recorded 194 coronavirus cases, of which 52 patients have been discharged after treatment.