More than 2,600 people related to a facility of the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD), a hotspot of Covid-19 in the capital city, will be sampled for test as soon as possible, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung said at a meeting held in Hanoi on May 6.

It is part of the task he has assigned relevant agencies, requiring functional forces to focus on testing coronavirus.

The NHTD facility in Dong Anh district, a frontline facility in Covid-19 fight, detected the first case Wednesday after a male doctor at the hospital tested positive for the coronavirus during an overseas trip.

Vice Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Chu Xuan Dung speaks at the meeting on Covid-19 prevention. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

He stressed that the city has been strengthening Covid-19 prevention measures as Hanoi and the whole country have recorded more community transmissions.

“We have advised local residents to stick to online transactions as much as they can so as to avoid direct contact among people,” Dung said.

Dung said the municipal authorities will provide accurate, timely and transparent information for people, prevent and enforce regulations on fake news that causes confusion in public as well as actively detecting and handling illegal entries.

“Districts in Hanoi must proactively put in place the pandemic prevention and control measures, applying social distance or isolation based on the level of Covid-19 risk for each area in the locality,” he said.

Hanoi students will maintain online learning at home until it is safe enough to resume direct classes,” Dung noted.

Hanoi turns on high alert on Covid-19 prevention. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha said the whole city must tighten the anti-pandemic measures and turns on high alert on Covid-19 prevention.

She said people will have to comply with Covid-19 prevention regulations and conduct precautionary measures of quick testing, contact tracing, masking up in public places and washing hands.

Starting April 29, Vietnam has suffered a new Covid-19 outbreak in different clusters across the country. Previously, the nation had gone over a month without community transmissions of the virus.

As of May 7, Covid-19 community transmissions had been recorded in 15 localities: the three major cities of Hanoi, Danang and HCMC and the provinces of Ha Nam, Vinh Phuc, Hung Yen, Quang Nam, Dong Nai, Hai Duong, Yen Bai, Thai Binh, Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Quang Ngai and Thanh Hoa.

At the time of writing, the total number of Covid-19 patients in Vietnam has increased to 3,091, the Ministry of Health reported.