Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said COVID-19 clusters in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh have been basically put under control thanks to drastic efforts in isolating pandemic-stricken areas and contract tracing. 

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks at the Cabinet meeting,
Ha Noi, February 2, 2021. Photo: VGP

Dam, who is head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, made the above statement at the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

He stressed that the most important task is to track individuals who came in close contact with the infected cases.

The Deputy PM voiced support for the Ministry of Health’s proposal to impose mandatory health declaration and those who fail to do so will be strictly fined in order to raise citizens’ sense of responsibility.

Local authorities nationwide must ensure that all citizens wear masks

The two clusters broke out on January 27, resulting in a surge of community cases (272 in nine provinces and cities), mainly attributed to a new variant similar to the UK strain./.