Hanoi tightens quarantine rules after first Covid-19 cases

Hanoi’s authorities are determined to tighten quarantine rules after the city confirmed some Covid-19 cases caused by loose isolation management.

Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung on working visit to an affected area on May 2. Photos: Kinh Te Do Thi

Quarantine rules must be strictly obeyed and any violation on timing and contact within the centers would not be tolerated, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Xuan Dung said on May 2.

Staff working in quarantine facilities must be well trained to avoid any unexpected mistake, Dung said, noting that quarantine has been defined one of the most important steps in the prevention and control of Covid-19.

Dung made the statement after a resident in the northern province of Ha Nam and several Chinese experts infected SARS-CoV-2 to dozens of local people over the last few days.

For better implementation, Dung has asked the cooperation among health sector, local authorities, and police.

A quarantine zone in Hanoi.

Currently, Hanoi is home to dozens of quarantine facilities where are the state-run centers and hotels. Foreign experts normally choose to pay for hotel quarantine.

Dung stressed the need of medical declaration after local residents ended their four-day holiday and returned to the city, he said when paying a working visit to an affected apartment block in Hoang Mai District late May 2.

Dung said the municipal government will conduct precautionary measures in a spirit of minimizing impacts on residents’ livelihood.

He also pointed out three factors causing risk of transmission in Hanoi, namely flows of people coming to the city, infection within quarantine facilities, and imported sources from illegal immigrants.

Before the resurgence of Covid-19 in Hanoi on April 29, the city underwent more than 70 days without local transmission.