Vietnam To Evacuate 80,000 People From Da Nang After Fresh Cases of COVID-19

KEY POINTS

Three new cases of COVID-19 were reported over the weekend
The evacuation process will take four days, says the government
Vietnam has not reported any COVID-19-related deaths

The Vietnam government plans to evacuate 80,000 people from a popular tourist destination after three residents tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.

The city of Da Nang, which is also a commercial and educational hub in central Vietnam, reported its first locally transmitted case Saturday, July 25, three months after social distancing orders were lifted, CNN reported.

Vietnam is still closed to foreign tourists, but discounted flights and holiday packages led to a spike in domestic travel. The Ministry of Health told CNN that the 57-year-old man who was tested positive in Da Nang had no international travel history and had been living in the city for a month. Two others were reported to have contracted the virus over the weekend.

A woman wearing a face mask walks along the Tuan Chau harbour in Ha Long Bay, Vietnam AFP / Manan VATSYAYANA

Prime Minister Xuan Phuc has ordered “large-scale testing” and contact tracing across the country. Social distancing protocols were reimplemented following the outbreak. Residents were reminded to maintain at least one meter distance, wear face masks and regularly wash their hands.

The country sealed off its borders to foreign visitors in March. It was only in June that the government allowed more than 400 Japanese business travelers to enter the country on “several chartered flights” - the first step toward “opening borders” between the two countries.

Here’s how COVID19 #Exemplar countries operate:

Vietnam 🇻🇳 evacuated 80,000 local tourists after 3 people in Da Nang tested #COVID19 positive.

⁦@exemplarshealth⁩ https://t.co/fkjnGQg5EH
— Global Health Strategies (@GHS) July 27, 2020

The government said it would take four days to transfer the bulk of people. Domestic airlines account for around 100 flights daily from Da Nang to 11 cities in Vietnam, the Daily Mail reported.

Those returning from Da Nang to other parts of the country are required to follow the mandatory 14-day home quarantine guideline, said the health ministry. The Prime Minister also instructed the local police to intensify their operations on illegal immigration after the new cases were reported.

Schools and businesses were reopened in Vietnam in late April after a three-week nationwide lockdown. The country has not reported any COVID-19 related deaths and has only 420 positive cases.

Coronavirus