Hai Duong imposes social distancing from noon on January 28

Hai Duong (VNA) - Social distancing was introduced in Chi Linh city in the northern province of Hai Duong from midday on January 28, following the detection of 73 cases of community transmission of the coronavirus in the locality, according a local official.

Nguyen Van Kien, Chairman of the city’s People’s Committee, said Kim Dien village in Hung Dao commune and Vietnam Poyun Electronics, where a female patient worked, have been put under lock down.

Hai Duong is taking drastic measures to contain the outbreak, especially contract tracing and testing, and has reactivated the local COVID-19 taskforce.

However, the locality faces a shortage of test kits and protective suits for medical workers, a meeting of the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control heard.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Duong Thai asked cities, towns, and districts to promptly roll out preventive measures at the highest level, saying the provincial health department stands ready to coordinate with Chi Linh in preparing the building of a field hospital.

The Ministry of Health has sent a working team to Hai Duong to assist in the fight. With this support, relevant local agencies are swiftly collecting samples from all workers at Vietnam Poyun Electronics and the villagers of Kim Dien.

As part of preventive measures, the province has told students not to attend school from January 29 until further notice.

Thai asked the provincial departments of education and training and labour, invalids and social affairs, as well as people’s committees of cities, towns, and districts, to instruct local educational institutions to intensify pandemic prevention and control measures and devise plans for online studies.

After two cases of community transmission were confirmed late on January 27, an additional 82 more COVID-19 cases were detected in the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh on the morning of January 28, with 72 in Hai Duong./.