104. Reopening Rumors, District 7

Dear Faculty and Staff,

Today in a message, the American Embassy shared Ho Chi Minh City’s announcement of the extension of the lockdown until at least September 15.

Although we do not have anything official from the government yet, we want to share this information with you as many rumors are circulating, and it can be difficult to know what is true and what is not true.

As always, we want to share what we do know, even if it is limited.

Reopening of Ho Chi Minh City

Authorities report that the reopening of Ho Chi Minh City will be segmented and phased and that it will vary by district and ward. At this time, we should all continue to monitor local news sources and stay abreast of what is happening in our wards and districts.

The school will keep you informed with any official information we receive about the reopening or any other developments regarding our current situation.

District 7 – A Pilot Program?

In recent days, it has been widely reported in the media that Cu Chi and District 7 may be used as pilots for planning how essential trade and business can be resumed, as they’ve been the most successful districts in getting the current COVID-19 outbreak under control.

Unfortunately, that’s all we know too. We expect that it would be announced by the wards or local district authorities if this does happen. Rest assured that if District 7 becomes a pilot program, we will find out.

Whether or not the current push to vaccinate all District 7 residents is linked to a possible pilot program remains to be seen. In any case, we are pleased to share that most adults in D7 have received one dose, and the administration of second doses is happening every day. Just today, additional faculty and staff received their second dose.

If a pilot program is initiated, it may have a positive impact on our ability to go out to shop and the delivery of food and essentials. Perhaps, it will also have positive implications for our ability to return to school. And we should be ready if that opportunity arises.

As I mentioned above, our intention is to keep you informed of what we know. There are a lot of rumors and a lot of varied sources of information. We will be sure to communicate official information as soon as it is available. If at any time, you have questions, concerns, or wonderings, I encourage you to contact me, Lisa, or WaiMun. I look forward to seeing you all at tomorrow’s faculty meeting.

We will get through this, together.

All good wishes,

Catriona