Da Nang People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh on Thursday afternoon called for drastic measures to be implemented across the city in the synchronized fashion to tackle the rising number of coronavirus cases.

Mr Chinh stressed the need to take all appropriate measures tailored to specific areas across the city to prepare for quarantining future primary close contacts of confirmed cases and returnees from COVID-19 affected areas.  

Chairman Chinh called on tracers to ramp up contact tracing efforts following a spike in COVID-19 community cases. Photo: PHAN CHUNG

The city government leader said that the number of COVID-19 infections in the community in Da Nang could continue to increase in the coming days and the health sector must make an action plan to roll out COVID-19 tests quickly and efficently for all contacts of positive cases, shorten the time between sampling and test results, and develop home quarantine scheme for people who came into close contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines.

Mr Chinh directed the health agency and relevant units to use all available resources to quickly indentify all contacts of new cases detected in recent days, isolate and test them for the virus as soon as possible to enable effective responses to COVID-19 in a bid to break the chains of transmission.

The city leader affirmed that the Da Nang government would create the most favourable conditions for its citizens in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to return home. The city will work with the Da Nang Compatriot Association in HCMC to bring home Da Nang citizens on free trip and help them access free of charge rapid COVID-19 tests and receive practical support while they are quarantined in Da Nang.

Mr Chinh urged the municipal the Department of Tourism to make a list of quarantine hotels with reasonable prices for arrivals and returnees from affected areas. 

Da Nang on Thursday (July 15) recorded 27 new cases of COVID-19, including 18 people who are close contacts of the infected worker in the Viet Hoa Electronics Co., Ltd, according to the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Nearly 13,000 contacts of new cases got tested for the virus on Thursday.

Since June 18, fines of VND 369.5 million have been imposed on 183 people for non-compliance with the city’s COVID-19 regulations.

The task force staffing checkpoints at points of entry on Thursday conducted COVID-19 related stop checks on 49,412 vehicles entering the city, during which, 36 vehicles were denied entry into the Da Nang, along with 68,091 arrivals had their body temperature measured and were required to complete a compulsory health declaration form.

People in managed isolation made to get 4 COVID-19 tests during 14-day quarantine period

The Da Nang government announced on Thursday evening that the quarantine period is reduced from 21 days to 14 days for direct contacts (F1 cases) of confirmed COVID-19 patients (F0) and foreign arrivals, except for arrivals for business purposes with duration of stay shorter than 14 days, and other cases of entries in accordance with other regulations of the Immigration Department and the Viet Nam’s National Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

People in managed isolation in Da Nang are required to get tested for the virus four times, on the first, fourth, seventh, and fourteenth day of their quarantine.

After completing their compulsory 14-day quarantine period, all these people will undergo a-14 day self- isolation at home under close monitoring of local authorities and health workers at their places of residence in line with the Ministry of Health’s guidelines.

They will be required to get tested for COVID-19 two times, on the seventh, and fourteenth day of their completion date of quarantine.

Reporting by PHAN CHUNG – translating by H.L