Medical workers are seen in protective suits in Hai Duong Province,
February 2021. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Health. 

Three more Covid-19 patients were confirmed in the northern province of Hai Duong Tuesday morning, raising its community infections to 620 in less than a month. 

All of the new infections are related to previously confirmed patients in the province, where one of the first two cases in Vietnam's ongoing Covid-19 outbreak was detected on January 28, when community transmissions returned to the nation after almost two months.

Since then, infections have spread to 13 cities and provinces, with Hai Duong alone accounting for 620, its neighbor Quang Ninh reported 60, HCMC 36 and Hanoi 35.

All of Hai Duong is undergoing social distancing for 15 days starting February 16 as per a government directive on Covid-19 prevention.

The social distancing directive, the same applied nationwide in April last year to stem the spread of Covid-19, calls for people not to go outside except for getting food, medicine or other emergencies; requires a minimum social distance of two meters and bans gatherings of more than two outside of hospitals, offices, schools and public spaces.

Certain areas with large numbers of infections have imposed stricter lockdown.

Traffic through the province, home to more than two million people and more than an hour drive from Hanoi, has also been limited during the period, with only vehicles with essential purposes allowed to enter.

Farming activities and business operations, including those of many foreign firms, have thus been adversely affected.

By Tuesday morning, Vietnam has registered 2,395 Covid-19 cases and 640 are active.