Da Nang People's Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh on Thursday afternoon called for greater efforts from the authorities in Thanh Khe District to contain the spread of the virus in a COVID-19 cluster at the ringfenced triangle area of Le Duan - Hoang Hoa Tham - Ly Thai To streets, and reduce the risk of cross infection in this area. The focus must be paid on tightening oversight of this area in order to make sure that every one is sticking to advice and guidance on infection prevention and control from the municipal government and health bodies to protect themselves and others.

Da Nang People'’s Committee Vice Chairman Ho Ky Minh delivers his instructions at the Thursday meeting. Photo: PHAN CHUNG

Vice Chairman Minh asked functional forces to enfore regulations to have hash penalties for non-compliance with COVID-19 regulations in this ringfenced COVID hotspot.

The city leader demanded officals to enforce COVID-19 rules in industrial parks (IPs) with a focus on enhancing surveillance of drivers of goods transport vehicles from other Vietnamese localities, especially COVID-19 affected areas.

Mr Minh instructed the Authority of of the Da Nang Hi-Tech Parks and Industrial Parks to work closely with relevant agencies to enfore requirements on mandatory health declaration, testing and quarantine for visitors in IPs from other Vietnamese localities, especially affected areas. Strictest penalties must be imposed on non-compliant businesses for providing false and misleading information of their visitors to health officials, Mr Minh emphasised.

Vice Chairman Minh remarked that the municipal government has agreed to set up an additional COVID-19 checkpoint at the approach leading to the Da Nang - Quang Ngai Expressway to increase checks on persons and vehicles entering the city.

Da Nang on Thursday ( June 24) recorded 8 new confirmed cases, all contracted locally, in the 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 67 after the resurgence of COVID-19 in June, the Da Nang Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control (CDC) ’s figure shows. All the locally acquired cases in the community are linked to the 59-year- old security guard in the Duy Tan Plastic Company who tested positive for the virus on June 18. 

In particular, five out of eight new cases who are primary close contacts of infected patients, all in managed isolation, while the remainder are persons who are living in the ringfenced triangle area of Le Duan - Hoang Hoa Tham - Ly Thai To streets.  

Till date, Da Nang has already tracked down 551 primary close contacts of the infected patients, and put them under quarantine at designated facilities while local healthcare workers are putting in place close monitoring of more than 2,700 secondary close contacts at their places of residence.

According to latest data released by the Da Nang CDC on Thursday (June 24), medical workers took swab samples of more than 1,300 people in the city to test for the virus, and the tested persons are those who have been to specific exposure sites in the city. In addition, 240 returnees from affected areas have been isolated in designated facilities across the city.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – Translating by H.L