Restaurantsand malls are still allowed to open but social distancing measures will need tobe applied, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said duringa meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control.
Chung saidthe risks of virus spreading in Hanoi is high as there are anestimated 54,000 people – double the figure available on July 27– returning from the virus-hit central region since July 7.
Tourists'favourites, Da Nang City and Quang Nam province, have become thelatest coronavirus hotspots in the country in recent days with 79 and 16cases recorded respectively, since the discovery of Patient No.416 on July 25which marked the end of a 99-day streak of no new domestic communityinfections in Vietnam.
In the lasttwo days, Hanoi has tested 18,500 people via quick testing methodsand planned to finish testing all 54,000 people by August 1.
10 testshave returned positive – two in Nam Tu Liem district, one inHoang Mai district, six in Gia Lam district, and one inThanh Xuan district.
All positivecases will be tested again via PCR diagnostics to confirm theinfection, Nguyen Khac Hien, Director of the municipal Health Department,said at the meeting.
So far,eight of the suspected positive cases have been confirmed as negative while twoin Gia Lam are still awaiting the final results.
Truong Quang Viet,deputy head of Hanoi’s Centre for Disease Control, said that theremight be still a number of COVID-19 cases popping up in Hanoi in thecoming days, and the health workers are relying on both testing results andsymptom reports to screen and trace cases.
Out of 253returning from Da Nang who reported COVID-19 symptoms, 166 have beenconfirmed as negative while the results for the remaining 87 arepending, Viet said.
Viet warnedthat a number of quick testing sites in some districts in the city are facingovercrowding as the number of people coming to get tested surpassed initialexpectations, given that many who have come into close contact with thereturnees from central regions also want to get tested.
Chungdemanded that Hanoi CDC do its best to provide a sufficient amount ofquick test kits for districts in the city to meet the goal of finishing testingfor returnees from virus-hit regions.
He asked forcontinued monitoring of all people returning from Da Nang and Quang Namsince July 8, especially those coming back on trains and coaches.
Hanoi sofar recorded two SARS-CoV-2 positive cases, both of them have travelledto Da Nang.
The commercedepartment is tasked with preparing goods and watching the market to preventsurges in prices of essential goods.
Theeducation department was asked to ensure hygiene for the upcoming high schoolexamination scheduled for August 8-10.
HCM City hasalso ordered a shutdown of its bars, discos, karaoke venues and many types oflarge gatherings including non-urgent fairs and conferences, starting July31, as the city received a large number of people returning from the centralregion after holidays./.