HANOI, Aug 6 — Hanoi has raised its Covid-19 alert level as it is currently at “very high” risk of coronavirus transmission, reports Vietnam News Agency (VNA) according to Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.
Hanoi, which has recorded three infection cases so far, must conduct PCR tests for the disease even if the number of tests can reach hundreds of thousands since only this testing method can confirm whether a person is negative or positive for SARS-CoV-2, said Chung at a meeting of the city’s steering committee for Covid-19 prevention and control on Wednesday
He asked local hospitals to carry out timely PCR tests for any people returning from pandemic-hit areas and showing cough or fever so that patients won’t have to visit different hospitals like a recent case in Bac Tu Liem district because the later they are detected, the more virus from them could spread to others.
He demanded a continued review of all people coming or returning from central Da Nang city — the current Covid-19 cluster, nearby Quang Nam province and other places related to confirmed patients. Aside from filling in health declarations and being monitored, they also need to self-quarantine at home.
Additionally, any people travelling from Da Nang since July 15 still need to undergo PCR tests though they have had rapid tests, Chung said, asking commune-level clinics, district-level health centres and hotline operating units to send staff to take samples for testing when receiving information from local residents, who must also self-quarantine pending test results.
To contain the spread of Covid-19, the administration has regulated penalties for 13 types of violation related to disease prevention and control.
Notably, any people who do not wear face masks at public places will be fined up to RM55 (300,000 VND or US$13). Those improperly disposing of used face masks at public places will be fined a maximum of RM904 (5 million VND), or up to RM1,625 (7 million VND) if they litter pavements or roads with discarded face masks.
Besides, those hiding the Covid-19 status of themselves or others will face punishments of up to RM181 ( 2 million VND).
— Bernama
