Sydney (VNA) – Europe could look to the success of countries like Vietnam as the continent is again in the grip of a COVID-19 resurgence, with outbreak hot-spots in the United Kingdom, Spain and France each reporting thousands of new daily cases, theconversation.com reported.
Europe’s second wave is worse than the first, according to the Australian-headquartered media outlet. The level of infections are now higher than in March and April across many countries, after restrictions were significantly eased over summer. But now many areas are being forced to re-introduce varying levels of restrictions, though most countries are resisting nationwide lockdowns.
By contrast, several Southeast Asian countries are doing exceptionally well, the newswire said. Over the past two weeks, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia have reported around 0-5 daily new cases on average despite dense populations.
In Vietnam, total number of cases is just over 1,100, which is extremely low for a population of nearly 100 million.
It highlighted targeted testing as an effective tactic used by Vietnamese health authorities, where they have focused on high-risk individuals and on buildings and neighbourhoods where there have been confirmed cases. Health authorities have also implemented extensive contact tracing, and aimed to identify those at risk of exposure regardless of symptoms.
The country also set up quarantine facilities for infected people and international travellers, minimising spread inside households.
It noted that having experienced the SARS and avian flu epidemics, many Asian countries took the threat of COVID-19 seriously right from the beginning.
In addition, many countries implemented strict mask wearing and physical distancing early. Targeted testing, education and the involvement of the community are critical in responding to COVID-19./.
Da Nang to host first tourists after COVID-19 resurgence
The Department of Tourism of Da Nang, in cooperation with Vietnam Airlines, will host the first tourists to visit the central city after the resurgence of COVID-19 in late July.
