Two hotel employees of Muong Thanh Grand Center hotel in Hanoi’s Hoan Kiem district who had come into close contact with Covid-19 Patient No.1203 have tested negative for the novel coronavirus, according to the municipal authorities.

Mr. Dinh Hong Phong, standing vice chairman of the district People's Committee, said at an online meeting presided over by Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Van Quy on November 4 that they had made contact with an expert from Israel who had been tested positive for the new coronavirus while in a business trip in Vietnam.

The 60-year-old Israeli man, now tagged as Patient No.1203, arrived from Qatar via Qatar Airways flight QR976 that landed in Hanoi's Noi Bai international airport on October 31, according to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

His test came out positive on November 3 as he was quarantined at a centralized camp in the city. He is now being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases 2 in Dong Anh district.

The two hotel workers are also quarantined at that hospital, the standing vice chairman of Hoan Kiem district said.

An overview of the online meeting presided over by Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Van Quy on November 4. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

Having learned of this case, the Hanoi Department of Health has requested all hotels hosting paid quarantine guests in the city to strictly abide by the quarantine protocol. When dealing with them, hotel staff must wear protective clothing.

According to the health department’s Deputy Director Hoang Duc Hanh, local residents are showing signs of careless and contravening the mask regulation, so the authorities need to strengthen the inspection.

"Besides promoting inspection for the pandemic prevention, districts and towns must make Covid-19 response plans ready in case of another outbreak," said Mr.  Hanh.

Hanoi strictly fines people for not wearing face masks in public

Hanoi will strictly penalize people who are caught without wearing facemasks and request strict compliance of anti-coronavirus measures in public places across the city, Vice Chairman of the municipal People's Committee Ngo Van Quy stressed at the meeting.

Authorities will check the compliance of the masking rule at crowded events, shopping malls, and supermarkets in the city. Besides, whoever doesn't wear a face mask in the pedestrian street will be kept out, Mr. Quy said.

He added that the city’s agencies should keep disseminating the "5K" message of the Ministry of Health since the good observance of the 5K is a "steel shield" to protect people from the Covid-19 pandemic. 5K means "Khau trang" (face mask) - "Khu khuan" (disinfection) - "Khoang cach" (distance) - "Khong tu tap" (no gatherings) - "Khai bao y te" (health declaration).

The risk of a resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic is latent, so staying vigilant is a must, as cold and dry winter conditions favor the transmission of the virus, the vice chairman noted.

He stressed that people should regularly wash hands with soap or hand sanitizers and keep safe distance with each other and avoid mass gatherings.

As of November 5, Vietnam has gone through 64 consecutive days without recorded cases in the community. From August 17 to now, Hanoi has not confirmed cases in the community.

Among Vietnam’s current Covid-19 tally of 1,203, 1,069 have recovered and 35 have died. Of the infections, 691 are locally transmitted and the rest are Vietnamese returnees and incoming foreigners.

More than 15,000 are currently under quarantine in Vietnam, including 200 at hospitals, more than 13,000 at centralized camps and the rest at home or accommodation facilities.