As the country’s latest COVID-19 hotspot, Da Nang city is considering implementing a home quarantine on individuals in the event that the number of infections increases rapidly, said Huynh Duc Tho, head of the municipal administration.

Da Nang has conducted extensive testing to early detect community infections 

“The city is ready for this option which will be carried out in a strict manner,” Tho stated on August 2 during an online cabinet meeting.

However, he revealed the Ministry of Health doesn’t yet feel the need to encourage the idea.

This comes after Da Nang has recorded 120 fresh cases of community transmission since the first case was detected on July 25. The central city has since imposed a lockdown on five hospitals and several residential areas, in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading further within the community.

“With patient zero yet to be found, we feel more people in the community will be susceptible to the virus,” said Tho.

Due to the virus rapidly spreading, Tho went on to describe how the city has adopted a strategy of stepping up contact tracing, conducting extensive testing, quarantining individuals, and putting every effort into stamping out the fresh outbreak.

The official added that Da Nang is planning to build a second field hospital at the municipal trade fair and exhibition centre in order to ease the burden on overloaded hospitals.

Work originally began on the first field hospital in the city’s Tien Son sport complex on July 31, and the medical centre is expected to take shape on August 5. Once the project is complete, it will be capable of receiving and treating thousands of COVID-19 patients.