The quarantine period for outbreaks of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is set to be raised in Hanoi from 21 days to 28 days, according to information released during the 21st session of the COVID-19 Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control held in the capital on March 18.

At the meeting of the COVID-19 Steering Committee for Disease Prevention and Control 

During the meeting, Nguyen Nhat Cam, Director of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC), said that the city has been swift to cordon off and quarantine areas hit by outbreaks in an effective manner. This is done whilst the source of infection of all the cases is being identified, with samples from all suspected cases being taken for testing. 

Hanoi is poised to increase the zoning and quarantine period of COVID-19 outbreaks from 21 days to 28 days amid the number of people arriving from epidemic areas increasing significantly, leading to a rise in the number of people being transferred into concentrated isolation zones, he noted.

The CDC director requested that each local health centre closely monitor all suspected cases in their respective regions, proposing that at least three additional people from each district should be trained to take samples before transporting them to the CDC in Hanoi to undergo testing. 

Moreover, doctors from Hanoi Medical University and those who are fourth year students in the public health sector should be mobilised in an effort to contain the epidemic. 

Indeed, the CDC in Hanoi received 100 letters from voluntary students working in the public health sector on March 17 who have been supplementing human resources in a bid to improve medical examinations and the quarantine process at Noi Bai International Airport and the Departments of Infectious Diseases at various hospitals.