HANOI, April 15 — Vietnam will extend its coronavirus lockdown in 12 provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, for seven days, although restrictions will be lifted in some areas outside of the Southeast Asian country’s main cities, state media reported today.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the decision at a meeting today, Tuoi Tre newspaper reported, adding that those 12 provinces were highly prone to the new coronavirus, which has infected 267 people in the country, but no deaths. — Reuters