At 3pm on March 2, the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases have moved to discharge from hospital 30 Vietnamese citizens who have recently returned to the nation from Wuhan following over 20 days in isolation amid fears surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), according to the Ministry of Health.

All 30 citizens who were quarantined, including six children aged 8 months to 14 years old and a pregnant woman, remain in a stable condition and are currently not showing any symptoms of a cough or fever.

Following their discharge, the 30 individuals have been instructed to isolate themselves and continue to monitor their health at home.

Dr Pham Ngoc Thach, director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, has stated isolation usually takes up to 14 days, but the hospital made the decision to keep the people in quarantine for 21 days to monitor for any abnormal problems.

Dr Thach added that all of the tests the hospital conducted came back negative for the COVID-19.

The group arrived in the country at Van Don International Airport in the northern province of Quang Ninh on February 10 following a special flight put on for 30 Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan.

Vietnam Airlines has been tasked with conducting the special flight aimed at bringing Vietnamese citizens home from Wuhan, the Chinese city that is considered to be the epicentre of the COVID-19.

As a means of ensuring safety and preventing the potential spread of the COVID-19, all crew members and passengers were taken to quarantine areas at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases to undergo strict monitoring as soon as they disembarked from the flight.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen, all arrivals from epidemic areas must be isolated and remain under strict monitoring procedures to prevent the spread of the epidemic within their community.