Capital turns on COVID-19 red alert
VGP – Ha Noi has reactivated Covid-19 combat scenarios after new locally-transmitted infections found in the city.
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| Secretary of the Ha Noi People's Committee |
Chu Xuan Dung, Deputy Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee and head of the city’s Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control, said at the meeting that the city is in high alert of SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
He attributed a large number of people coming to the city, illegal immigration, crowd gatherings ahead of Tet holiday, people’s heedlessness of the pandemic transmission, and fast spread of the new Covid-19 mutant variant to the high alert.
Ha Noi will test all people who have returned from Quang Ninh province and Hai Duong’s Chi Linh city, which have been hit by the latest COVID-9 outbreaks, since January 14.
Other forces are required to tighten control over immigration, quarantine, and health declaration.
Chairman of the Ha Noi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh on January 28 night issued an urgent official dispatch to the city’s departments, agencies and People’s Committees at all levels to prepare for any COVID-19 response scenario. The city expects to complete the testing by February 1.
The Department of Health was asked to cooperate with local authorities to trace, identify, offer testing and monitor the health of people who have returned from the affected areas and those who have been in contact with returnees.
Local hospitals and healthcare units were asked to tighten disease prevention and control measures.
Agencies were also asked to instruct people to strictly follow the health ministry’s 5K (in Vietnamese) message: Khau trang (face mask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).
The transport department on January 28 ordered the suspension of road transport between the capital city and the northern province of Quang Ninh.
Viet Nam recorded nine new community infections of COVID-19 over the past 12 hours as of 6am on January 29. Among those, one is living in Ha Noi’s Hai Ba Trung district. The patient had been in close contact with a security worker at the Van Don International Airport, who tested positive for Covid-19 on January 27./.
By Khanh Phuong
