Passengers seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in
Ho Chi Minh City on February 6, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran.
 

At least three localities in northern and central Vietnam will isolate people from HCMC for 14-21 days as a Covid-19 containment attempt. 

The northern province of Bac Giang has ordered that everyone coming from HCMC, which now ranks third in number of active Covid-19 patients at 33, be quarantined at a facility.

The regulation applies to those who entered the province starting February 2. Earlier visitors will need to isolate themselves at home and have their samples taken for testing.

Others who come from communes or districts of localities that have recorded Covid-19 cases will also be quarantined for 14 days.

The central province of Thua Thien Hue is applying a mandatory 21-day quarantine policy on everyone coming from communes or wards with Covid-19 cases in HCMC, the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai and the southern province of Binh Duong.

The regulation took effect February 9. A similar regulation had been issued earlier for those coming from communes or wards with Covid-19 cases in Hanoi and the northern provinces of Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, the first and second largest Covid-19 hotspots in the country with 327 and 53 cases, respectively.

The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong has ordered that everyone coming from HCMC will be isolated at home for 14 days starting February 9.

Bac Giang has recorded two community Covid-19 cases from ongoing outbreaks while Thua Thien Hue and Dak Nong have none.

The isolation orders came amid the Lunar New Year holiday while millions of migrant workers in HCMC are expected to travel home.

HCMC, the largest city in the country with 13 million people, has recorded 33 local cases in the last 11 days, most of them linked to an outbreak at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

Officials have warned of the severity of the new outbreak as the source and time of contagion has not been determined.