Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, chaired an urgent meeting on February 8 to discuss novel coronavirus (COVID-19) prevention and control measures following the latest detection of an additional 24 high-risk cases of infection within the community.

A residential area in Ho Chi Minh City is placed into lockdown following
the discovery of new infections in recent times.

During the meeting, the Center for Disease Control in Ho Chi Minh City said that the southern city has recorded an additional 24 high-risk cases, with each of the individuals being quickly placed into quarantine in order to undergo treatment.

All of the suspected cases came into close contact with infected patients who are staff at Tan Son Nhat International Airport. Following this, the city moved to quickly conduct testing on 7,300 airport employees, of which four tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, with the remainder testing negative.

In the face of increasingly-complicated developments relating to the pandemic, a number of areas which are said to run the risk of local transmission or have infected patients in the southern metropolis have been put into lockdown in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Mayor Phong has therefore urged localities to impose strict controls on high-risk areas, not let people leave blockade areas, while providing timely support for difficult cases in isolated areas.

Furthermore, Tan Son Nhat International Airport has intensified measures to prevent the spread of the virus through the Lunar New Year, known locally as Tet.

Tan Son Nhat airport staff have samples taken after
a number of fresh cases are detected.

Medical screenings will be strictly conducted at the airport in line with steps imposed by the Government and the Health Ministry.

All passengers who fail to comply with regulations on aviation security, conceal infections, or fail to fill in health declarations accurately, will be punished under Criminal Law.

In order to enforce this, the airport will allocate staff to be on duty around the clock during the Tet holiday. 

Airport staff will also be required to wear face masks while on duty, wash their hands with alcohol-based sanitiser, have their body temperature checked, and disinfect surfaces regularly.

Since January 28, the nation has recorded more than 422 local COVID-19 cases. So far, new infections have been detected in 12 cities and provinces throughout the country, with Hai Duong remaining the largest hotspot with 309 new cases.