Vietnam was back on a high alert status over the coronavirus disease, three months after reporting zero local transmission.
This came after a 57-year-old man from Danang, who was diagnosed with pneumonia, tested three times positive for the virus, according to a report by Reuters, and was picked up by The Straits Times on Saturday, July 25.
The Vietnam government thus ordered the isolation of 50 people whom the man went in contact with, while another 103 people connected to the patient underwent tests but yielded negative results.
According to the Ministry of Health, the man who was quarantined and treated at a hospital had not left Danang for nearly a month and mostly stayed home taking care of his grandchild.
The ministry did not say how the patient contracted the virus and has not officially confirmed the case as COVID-19, but the government reinstated an order to wear masks in public places.
The new case brought Vietnam’s total confirmed case to 413 and with zero deaths so far.
Prior to the new infection, Vietnam has been preparing to resume select international flights to complement the surge in domestic tourism and in a bid to support its economy.
Among the countries that Vietnam was welcoming flights from were Taiwan, Guangzhou in China, Tokyo in Japan, and Seoul in South Korea, as such countries were considered to have managed Covid-19 “very well.”
If the program becomes successful, Vietnam said it was willing to extend the relaxation to countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
The ban remained in effect but it can be learned that the government allowed the entry of skilled workers and foreign experts to Vietnam provided that they undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Earlier this week, Vietnam announced that it would repatriate around 130 Vietnamese citizens infected with the virus from Equatorial Guinea.
In March, meanwhile, Danang—one of the country’s top tourist sports—reported six local cases of the coronavirus as US-based carrier Theodore Roosevelt conducted a port visit to the city.
