All tourists who purchase tickets to visit the ancient town of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam are to be given free medical masks as part of a number of activities aimed at halting any potential cases of acute pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus.

The move comes as leaders of the Hoi An City People's Committee have assigned the Center for Culture, Sports, Radio & Television of Hoi An City with coming up with funding in order to provide both ticketing staff and tourists with free medical masks throughout the town’s main tourist attractions. 

Truong Thi Ngoc Cam, Director of the Centre for Culture, Sports, Radio and Television of Hoi An City, stated that the first few days of the Lunar New Year have seen the city host a number of traditional festivals, resulting in a large number of visitors travelling to the area.

The centre has also moved to spread information regarding the acute pneumonia epidemic caused by the new strain of the corona virus in a bid to public awareness about the infectious disease.

This comes alongside the offer of free medical masks to tourists who purchase tickets to visit the city.

Apart from providing free medical masks, public areas such as ticket booths and toilets will be equipped with hand washing and disinfectant solutions, said Cam.

Between January 23-25, Hoi An welcomed approximately 1,000 Chinese tourists each day.