Da Nang continues social distancing measures

The central city of Da Nang, now Vietnam’s major COVID-19 hotspot, will continue with social distancing measures in line with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s Directive No 16/CT-TTg dated March 31.

Under a document issued by the Da Nang City People’s Committee on August 11, all agencies, organisations, and residents will have to observe COVID-19 prevention and control measures from midnight on August 12 until further notice. Such measures were imposed upon Hoa Vang district at 1pm on August 11.

People are advised to stay home except for buying necessities like food and medicine, taking care of emergencies, or working at factories and production facilities deemed to provide essential goods and services.

The local Health Department will continue to instruct the city’s Center for Disease Control to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities in tracing COVID-19 cases.

The document also highlighted testing, especially group testing, quarantine, and treatment to minimize fatalities from the pandemic.

COVID-19 prevention and control will be stepped up at markets and supermarkets, the document read, noting that apart from social distancing measures, plans on reserving goods are needed in case the pandemic lasts for a long period.

Any violations of regulations must be strictly punished.

Vietnam had confirmed 847 COVID-19 cases as of the morning of August 11, of which 389 are linked to the outbreak in Da Nang that started around July 25.

Among the total, 318 cases were imported and quarantined upon arrival.

As many as 399 patients, or 47.1 percent of cases, have recovered, but the country has also recorded 15 fatalities.

Of the active patients, nine have tested negative once for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and 36 at least twice.

There are 165,983 people now under quarantine who had close contact with confirmed cases or who came from pandemic-hit areas.