Due to the rapid and wide spread of the infection, quarantine centers are beginning to be overloaded, and so city authorities could have people quarantining at home if they live in villas or townhouses, the Ministry of Health said on Sunday.

A red sign with yellow letters must be hung outside the house to warn others.

Inside, there must be a room separate from the family's common space, or a separate floor should be used for quarantining if the house has multiple floors.

There must be another room for medical staff to come and examine, take samples and monitor the condition of the quarantined person.

The quarantine room must have its own toilet and bathroom; enough tools for personal activities; a device to check the temperature; trash cans with lids and labeled 'potential Covid-19 waste.'

Family members must wear full protective suits when making contact with the quarantined person.

The person must make a commitment to authorities not to leave the room or make exposed contact with family members, other people or pets.

The person must install daily medical declaration applications like Bluezone and update their condition on them.

If a smartphone is not available, the subject has to notify medical staff when they have cough, fever, sore throat, or breathing difficulty.

The subject must be tested at least five times during the quarantine period of 28 days.

The ministry warned that seniors and people with underlying conditions should stay away from the subject.

At a meeting of the HCMC Covid-19 Prevention Steering Committee on Friday afternoon, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said over 12,000 people are being quarantined in centers and 26,000 at home in the city.

The number of people coming into contact has increased rapidly, causing difficulties for some quarantine facilities, especially the one at the Vietnam National University - Ho Chi Minh City, he said.

"Though only 2,000 people are quarantined there, the medical staff said they are exhausted because there are also other problems."

The city is expected to begin by trialing home quarantine in some places before expanding it later if it goes without a hitch.