The Hanoi city government should fast-track its proposal to turn some hotels into quarantine establishments to meet real demand as the overseas Vietnamese and foreigners continue coming to the city, Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue has stated.

Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue (Photo: VGP)

According to Hue, while many people are willing to pay room charges for spending the mandatory quarantine at a hotel, relevant authorities have not discussed with accommodation establishments on paid isolation.

“The city authorities need to submit the idea of paid isolation in hotels to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control,” Hue said at a meeting with the Hanoi Party Committee of Businesses on March 24, recognizing that many hotels are at risk of bankruptcy due to a lack of guests. 

Delegates at the meeting reported many industries are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, especially tourism and transportation.

According to Hanoi Tourism Corporation, most hotels in Hanoi are reporting a occupancy rate of only 10-15%.

Hoa Binh Hotel in Hoan Kiem district has accommodated 20 foreign senior experts for quarantining after receiving request from the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Some tourism accommodations have registered to host people under paid quarantine, including one in Hoan Kiem District with 50 rooms and another in Ba Dinh District with 200 rooms. 

Currently, the initiative is under consideration.

A military establishment turned into a quarantine center. Photo: Lao Dong newspaper

At a meeting of the National Standing Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on the same day, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc approved a proposal of mobilizing hotels and resorts across the country for mass quarantine. 

In provinces/cities, the tourism accommodation facilities will give priority to hosting quarantined foreigners holding diplomatic and official passports and experts working for important projects in Vietnam. 

However, Major General Nguyen Quoc Duyet, chief of the Hanoi Capital High Command said Vietnamese people suspected of contracting the coronavirus should not undergo mass isolation at hospitality facilities, except for holders of official and diplomatic passports and experts.

Currently, Hanoi has 15 isolation centers including nine at military barracks, one in Hanoi Police Hospital and five other areas for 14,000 people.

According to the General Department of Tourism, as of March 22, up to 145 hotels across the country have signed up to host quarantined people.