The People’s Procuracy of Ho Chi Minh City announced on January 11 that it had approved the Investigation Security Agency’s decision to begin legal proceedings against a 28-year-old flight attendant, who is COVID-19 Patient No. 1,342, for “spreading contagious disease to others”.

Vietnam Airlines' quarantine site

Earlier on December 3, the Investigation Security Agency under the municipal Department of Public Security launched criminal proceedings against this case.

Accordingly, from November 30 to December 1, the city announced four new cases of infection, including one in a quarantine facility and three others in the community after going through 120 days without local transmissions.

Specifically, Patient No. 1,342, a flight attendant of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, came into contact with Patient No. 1,325 at a quarantine site. After testing negative twice from November 15-18, he was placed under quarantine at a rented apartment in HCM City’s Tan Binh district.

While in quarantine, he met with his mother and two friends. Later, on November 28, he tested positive to the virus and became patient No. 1,342. He also went to the HCM City University of Technology.

After collecting samples for testing from patient No. 1,342’s close contacts, the municipal Health Department found that patient No. 1,347, who is a friend of patient No 1,342, delivered lectures at the KEY English training centre in Tan Binh district from November 18 to 25 and at other branches in district 10, and also went to a café and a karaoke parlour in district 10.

A year-old baby boy also caught the disease from patient No. 1,347 and tested positive on November 30. A 28-year-old female student of his was also infected.

Colonel Nguyen Sy Quang, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Public Security, said that while the entire political system is exerting efforts to control the disease, one subjective and unconscious person can lead to serious consequences.

Violations in the case resulted in serious consequences, so the individuals and organisations concerned must be strictly punished, he stressed.