Hanoi to quarantine people from South Korea’s coronavirus-hit regions

Hanoi would isolate people from South Korea’s regions infected with Covid-19 epidemic for 14 days from the day of their arrival in the capital city, Zing.vn quoted Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh as saying at a meeting on February 23.

Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung speaks at the meeting. Photo: Zing

According to Hanh, there are about 26,000 Vietnamese citizens living in Deagu and North Gyeongsang, the two South Korea’s provinces where Covid-19 broke out, and asked the Epidemic Prevention Steering Committee to set plan for quarantining the returnees from there.

Hanh requested isolatation of South Korean tourists coming from these two provinces for 14 days at their accommodation facilities.

Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien also suggested that the Hanoi’s authorities consider including tourists from South Korea, Japan and Singapore into the isolation list. The number of infections in these three countries has risen fast over the past week.

For Vietnamese traveling abroad, the authorities must be communicated about their itineraries. The Hanoi Department of Tourism needs to monitor the tourist attractions, especially the places with crowds of foreigners such as commercial centers, golf courses, among others.

Speaking at the meeting, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Nguyen Duc Chung emphasized that although South Korea and Japan have not been declared as epidemic outbreak regions, the risk of transmission from the citizens of these countries in Hanoi is high.

Besides, around 200,000 Vietnamese are working and studying in South Korea, Chung said.

He added it is likely that in the coming days, the Hanoi’s authorities will have to plan quarantine and monitor Vietnamese returning from South Korea. "If these citizens return home, thousands of them will arrive in Hanoi. Thus, we need to anticipate and take action," Chung said.