As many as 693 people returning to Can Tho city in the Mekong Delta from the newly detected coronavirus hotspot of Da Nang have first tested negative for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to local authorities.

They are among approximately 1,200 passengers boarding eight flights from Da Nang to Can Tho throughout July 26 and July 27. The remaining number of passengers are awaiting the results. 

All passengers were required to undergo a health check, complete a medical declaration, and have their samples taken for COVID-19 at a quarantine area in Can Tho International Airport.

All of the recently-returned passengers will now self-isolate at home for a 14-day period according to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

Huynh Minh Truc, director of the Can Tho Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, said all returnees should limit gatherings in an effort to curb the possible spread of the virus in the community.

In addition to four flights returning from Da Nang on July 27, Can Tho International Airport received 240 Vietnamese citizens who had been repatriated from Singapore, with the passengers being put in a military-based isolation area in the Mekong Delta province of Tien Giang upon their arrival in the country.