People should stay at home and limit outdoor activities from now till March 31 as risk of Covid-19 contagion is expected to heighten, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said on Wednesday evening.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at the meeting of the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on March 18. Photo: Zing

Hanoi has well monitored visitors coming to the city from abroad in recent days, but there is a high risk of contagion from those who had entered the city before March 17.

The Ministry of Health has called on passengers of a dozen flights carrying coronavirus patents over the past week to contact health authorities for checkup and further instructions. Tests will show if they are positive or negative for the virus by April 3. Incubation period of Covid-19 is commonly determined at 14 days.

“Hanoi will enter an intense period in the coming three to four days and it will last till April 3,” Chung said at the meeting of the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, which is headed by himself, late on Wednesday.

The number of new positive cases in the city may increase by six to eight per day, or even by two-digit figures in the coming days, Chung said.

He, therefore, called on residents in the city to keep calm, stay away from crowds, and limit the use of public transport. Shops, except for gas stations, drug stores, and food and foodstuff store, should consider closing.

The city’s mayor also encouraged companies to allow their employees to work from home.

He affirmed that the pandemic situation in the city is still under control and authorities are working hard to identify high risk sources of contagion for consequent proper measures.

The city has asked mass events, historical relic sites, restaurants, bars, karaoke lounges and other recreation facilities to temporarily suspend operations.

The local government has decided to keep schools closed until April 5.

With a surge in overseas Vietnamese returning to Hanoi in recent days and much more in the coming days, probably up to one thousand a day, the city’s authorities has planned to set up new concentrated quarantine facilities, Chung said.

As of March 18, Hanoi reported 20 people infected with the coronavirus, the highest number among 15 cities and provinces in Vietnam where the virus has been found.