Two tourist attractions in Lai Chau closed amid COVID-19 fears

Lai Chau (VNA) - Two famous tourist attractions in Tam Duong district in the northern province of Lai Chau – O Quy Ho Mountain Pass and Rong May Glass Bridge ecological tourism sites – have been closed as part of efforts to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 epidemic.

According to local authorities, during their closure, the managers of these two sites will assign on-duty staff to carry out maintenance work.

Nguyen Van Huan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hoang Lien Son Group Joint Stock Company and also the investor of the Rong May Glass Bridge Resort, revealed that the site used to receive 500 to 700 tourists on average per day before the outbreak of COVID-19.

“To ensure the operation of the resort, the company has signed contracts with 120 employees. However, since the appearance of the disease in the country, particularly after the occurrence of two cases in nearby Lao Cai province, the number of tourists to the site has dropped significantly, causing severe financial loss to the company,” he said.

After two staff cuts, the resort now has only ten employees on duty to maintain the site. Based on the actual situation of visitors and disease control, the tourism site will be re-opened at an appropriate time.

“Though local tourists’ sites have temporarily stopped receiving tourists, the prevention of COVID-19 epidemic in the district still faces many difficulties,” said Nguyen Tri Cong, deputy head of the culture division of Tam Duong district.

“Many foreign tourists entering the district by personal vehicles like motorcycles or bikes without notification of their presence to the local authority, which causes obstacles to inspection, control and information collection,” he added.

As revealed by the Provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, up to March 17, there were 57 suspected cases within Lai Chau province, all of whom have received negative test results for COVID-19.

According to Tran Manh Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lai Chau province, the number of tourists to the province have decreased significantly compared to the period before the epidemic outbreak.

However, the local authority’s point of view is to prioritise disease prevention and ensuring safety for tourists and locals, he said./.