
Chaired by Secretary of the Quang Ninh Party Committee and Chairman ofthe provincial People’s Council Nguyen Xuan Ky, the meeting gathered authoritiesfrom provincial to communal levels to urgently respond to the fresh COVID-19outbreak in the province.
Quang Ninh is fully capable of controling the situation, Ky said,ordering relevant authorities to keep a close watch on the virus’s developmentin the province and nearby areas and give the highest priority to contacttracing. All employees of the Vietnam Poyun Electronics Co., Ltd. and from HaiDuong, as well as their close contacts, must be put under quarantine, hedemanded.
He especially raised concern over Dong Trieu town, which shares a borderwith Hai Duong’s Chi Linh city, one of the two latest COVID-19 hotspots.
Reports indicate that 119 residents in the town who work for the HaiDuong-based Vietnam Poyun Electronics company are being quarantined. Eightvillages in Dong Trieu’s Binh Duong and An Sinh communes have imposed socialdistancing measures after eight new infections were identified. The town nowhas 43 F1 and 900 F2 cases, having direct and indirect contact, respectively,with new COVID-19 patients.
The secretary further requested the urgent procurement of extracoronavirus testing equipment, allowing the province to maximise its testingefforts. Local departments and agencies must prevent goods shortages during theupcoming Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, minimise the effects of COVID-19 onpeople, particularly the vulnerable, and tighten control and surveillance alongthe border and coastline to prevent illegal entries, he added.
As of 6pm on January 28, Quang Ninh had detected 13 new COVID-19 cases.
In Hanoi, authorities have also been on high alert after new infectionsin the capital were found to be linked to the fresh outbreaks in Quang Ninh andHai Duong.
In an urgent meeting on the evening of the same day, Secretary of theHanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue demanded swifter and more drastic actions tostem the spread of the coronavirus.
Contact tracing of F1, F2, and F3 cases must be completed in three days,Hue said, stressing the city’s determination to once again come out victoriousagainst COVID-19.
Director of the municipal Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien voicedhis concern over the current complex situation, saying the virus could breakout in other cities and provinces and Hanoi is not immune.
As the Tet holiday, which is a time of family reunion, is just aroundthe corner, Hien said that traditionally people want to go home for the holidayso there will be a greater risk of transmission from imported cases.
Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh, meanwhile,said the city will trigger a higher alert level against the virus and soonissue an official dispatch on combating the new variants./.
VNA