Led by Deputy Health Minister Truong Quoc Cuong, who is also Deputy Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Response, the delegation surveyed the implementation of COVID-19 responsive measures at Da Nang International Airport as well as the quarantine of repatriated Vietnamese citizens from abroad at several hotels in Son Tra District.
Da Nang currently has two quarantine facilities managed by the military with a maximum capacity of receiving 420 people, along with 23 hotels, corresponding to 1,473 rooms, that have been set up as medical isolation venues.
From April 1, 2020, to January 12, 2021, Da Nang received 59 flights, of which 32 brought in Vietnamese citizens and foreign experts isolated in Da Nang, 18 flights for quarantine in Quang Nam Province, and nine for medical isolation in Quang Ngai Province. There were five ocean-going ships on entry with a total of 129 crew members isolated at the local hotels.
The mission then had a meeting with the local authorities to discuss the epidemic prevention and control in the central coastal city. In which, Da Nang authorities suggested the Ministry of Health continue to support the city in the prevention and control of the epidemic, while offering detailed instructions on procedures for medical surveillance of the cases eligible to be released after completing the centralised isolation, as well as guiding the development of the COVID-19 prevention and control plans for localities in Da Nang in 2021.
* On the same day, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Hanoi had an online meeting with local authorities across the capital city to discuss measures to strengthen the work.
Hanoi authorities gather to discuss COVID-19 prevention and control on January 14, 2020. (Photo: NDO/Giang Nam)
Hanoi has gone five consecutive months without recording any new COVID-19 transmission in the community. However, as the epidemic is still progressing in a complex manner around the world, the risk of the epidemic spreading from outside into the city is still high. The Hanoi Department of Health suggested that relevant local authorities and people must always be vigilant about disease developments.
As the festival season approaches with coming of the Lunar New Year, the risk of disease transmission in crowded gatherings is also high. Hanoi authorities urged all the districts and towns in the capital city to prepare plans regarding the scale of the festivals and well implement measures for epidemic prevention and control when organising such festival to ensure the highest safety.
Hanoi Municipal People's Committee Vice Chairman Chu Xuan Dung suggested that local authorities continue to strictly implement the provided instructions on COVID-19 response while launching communications campaigns to raise public awareness on COVID-19 fight.
Dung also urged the local functional forces strictly punish violations of COVID-19 prevention and control measures, while requesting the City Police to prevent in a timely manner and strictly handle illegal entries. The Hanoi Capital High Command should coordinate with the relevant units to closely manage local quarantine camps to prevent cross-infection in the venues and not let the disease spread to the community.
