Workers try to flee Vietnam's biggest city as coronavirus crisis worsens

HANOI: Thousands of jobless workers in Vietnam's biggest city are trying to flee to their hometowns, many on motorcycles piled high with belongings, following an extension of restrictions in the epicentre of the country's worst coronavirus outbreak yet.

But authorities are anxious to prevent them leaving Ho Chi Minh City and potentially spreading the virus to other parts of the country. Waves of motorbikes could be seen being halted at roadblocks around the city since Sunday. Television footage from nearby industrialised provinces showed factory workers on Monday dressed head-to-toe in protective clothing and rushing to board trains and buses in a similar attempt to flee the most affected areas.