Secretary of Hanoi's Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung has refuted rumors that the capital city has been put under lockdown due to the growing number of coronavirus infections.

This is fake news, Dung told local media outlets late on May 6, adding that authorities are investigating the sources of the disinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Hanoi has  been effectively conducting quarantine measures in areas and sections of streets, where infections have been found. The city has not made any proposal on placing the whole city under lockdown. This is a complete fabrication,” the Party chief affirmed.

Hanoi's authorities have introduced drastic measures to respond to the new Covid-19 outbreak. Photo: Nhan Dan

He said mass quarantine or city lockdown must be based on the number of infected people, contagion situation, and decision-making competence, adding that people should not panic with such misinformation that is “extremely poisonous.”

Asked about the hearsay spread on social media networks, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Information and Communications Nguyen Thi Mai Huong also confirmed that the information on the lockdown is completely groundless.

“Local authorities have had no intention of enforcing a blockade to combat the new coronavirus outbreak. We are verifying information on unfounded rumors surfacing on social media networks,” Huong said.

According to Huong, the municipal administration has recently introduced drastic measures to respond to the new outbreak. One of the measures is to encourage local people to stay indoors as much as they can unless they go out for food or medicine.

Local residents are also advised to strictly follow the Ministry of Health’s Covid-19 rules, including donning face masks, not gathering in large crowds and keeping a safe distance in public places, in order to protect themselves and the community as well.

Hanoi has recorded 47 news cases, mostly related to the outbreak at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, since the disease recurred in Vietnam on April 29.