Passengers wait for check-in at the domestic terminal at Tan Son Nhat international airport in HCM City (Photo: VNA)PhamVu Cuong, deputy director of the airport, said: “The infected employee did notcome into contact with passengers because he works for the luggage loadingservice. His infection has not affected the airport’s operation.”
“Theairport has activated the highest level of pandemic prevention measures sincethe northern outbreak in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh provinces,” he added.
Atan urgent meeting on February 6 afternoon, Deputy Minister of Health Do XuanTuyen said: “There is no need to shut down the country’s largestairport.”
“It’shugely urgent to trace and test those who had close contact (F1 and F2) withthe employee and one of his two younger brothers who later tested positive forthe virus, in both the city and Binh Duong province,” Tuyen said. “The entireairport was disinfected immediately.”
About60 people came into contact with the two patients, city authorities said onSunday morning.
Theairport employee tested positive after travelling from HCM City to hishometown in Binh Duong province. A block of apartments where the patient andhis two brothers live was locked down immediately.
TheHCM City Centre for Disease and Control (CDC) said it confirmed the employee’spositive test after testing 5,900 out of nearly 7,000 employees at Tan SonNhat International Airport, beginning on January 30, as ordered by thecity government following the third wave of local infections from the north.
TheHCM City CDC rushed to test the remaining 1,000 employees of the airportthrough the night and completed all the samples by Sunday morning.The results will be annouced as soon as possible, they said.
Accordingto the Airports Corporation of Vietnam (ACV), all employees of Vietnam’s 21airports out of 22 airports have been told to be tested for Covid-19.
Ofthe 22 airports, the Van Don airport in Quang Ninh province, which has beenreceiving repatriation flights with a number of passengers testing positivefor COVID-19, has been locked down since January 28 after a number ofairport employees tested positive. It is set to reopen on February 13.
Airport’s strict measures
TheTan Son Nhat airport has ramped up measures to prevent the spread of the virusduring the Lunar New Year holiday.
Medicalscreenings will be strictly conducted at the airport in line with theGovernment and the Health Ministry.
Passengerswho fail to comply with regulations on aviation security, conceal infections,or fail to fill in health declarations accurately will be punished under theCriminal Law.
Theairport will allocate staff to be on duty around the clock during theholiday.
Airportstaff are required to wear face masks while on duty, wash hands withalcohol-based sanitiser, have their body temperature checked, and disinfectsurfaces regularly.
DaoThi Hoa, 28, a passenger service staff at the airport, told Vietnam News:“COVID-19 prevention measures have been tightened at the airport for LunarNew Year when there is a huge number of passengers. Each employee isprovided with face masks, gloves, face shield, and alcohol-based sanitiserwhile on duty.”
“Thenumber of passengers has surged in the last few days, two or three times higherthan normal days. I always wear gloves, face mask, face shield, wash handsregularly with alcohol-based sanitiser, and disinfect the check-incounter surface.”
“Passengersare asked to wear face masks at all time at the airport, and maintainsocial distancing when queueing up. We will provide face masks whenpassengers need them.”
TranThi Thuy, 45, a passenger from the central province of Nghe An, said:“Today I wore double face masks. It’s important to always wear a facemask, keep distance, and wash hands frequently with alcohol-based sanitiser inpublic places.”
Whenasked if she was afraid to travel by air now, she said: “I’ve been supercareful, but it’s not that scary as I can see everyone is wearing a facemask. Alcohol-based sanitiser is available almost everywhere at the airport,and passengers get their body temperature checked before getting onboard.”
“Basedon my observation since the pandemic broke out since early 2020, I trust in theserious measures taken by the airport authorities and the Government.”
“WhenI arrive in my hometown, I will stay at home, restrict travel, andonly have contact with family members,” she said.
Airlines’ stringent measures
Airlinesoperating at the Tan Son Nhat airport have been ordered to strictly implementall measures in line with the Health Ministry’s guidance. Social distancingmeasures are applied on flights in which middle seats are kept vacantand no meals are served.
Ina related move, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has announced itwill intensify prevention measures during the holiday.
Allpassengers must have their temperature checked before boarding, fill out ahealth declaration, and wear a face mask throughout the flight. Passengers willbe provided with alcohol-based towels on board.
Passengersmust also abide by social distancing measures at check-in areas and will be givensanitised wipes.
Atthe end of day, all aircraft will be thoroughly sprayed withdisinfectant.
Allpassengers are strongly recommended to follow the Health Ministry’s 5K (inVietnamese) message: Khau trang (face mask) – Khu khuan (disinfection)– Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering)– Khai bao y te (health declaration).
Accordingto Vietnam Airlines, the number of air passengers has gradually increased aheadof the Lunar New Year.
Duringthe holiday period, Vietnam Airlines, Pacific Airlines and VASCO areexpected to serve an average of 20,000 passengers per day from Tan Son Nhat.
Manyflights are full (80 to 90 per cent) from HCM City to destinationslike Thanh Hoa, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Chu Lai, Hue, Cam Ranh and Phu Quoc.
Thousandsof passengers in recent days have been flocking to the domestic terminalof the Tan Son Nhat airport to return home for the holiday celebration. Theairport areas have been packed with long queues.
Almostall the passengers arriving at the airport wear a face mask, andsome of them even wear protective clothing.
SinceJanuary 28, Vietnam has recorded more than 400 locally transmitted casesas of February 7 afternoon. New infections have been detected in 12 cities andprovinces so far.
Theoutbreak in the north is the largest in Vietnam since a cluster emerged inthe central city of Da Nang last July and quickly spread to most regions of thecountry, leading to the country’s first fatalities from the pandemic.
Thisweek, Vietnamese people will be celebrating the Lunar New Year, an occasion forfamily reunions that will see millions travel to their hometowns.
Containmentefforts could become more complicated during the holiday period whenbig indoor gatherings are more common./.
VNA
