29-year-old Duong Tuan Hau, an employee of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, receives a two-year suspended sentence for spreading COVID-19. (Photo: VNA)

Such deeds are serious and dangerous to society, affecting lives and health, and must be handled strictly, the judge said.

At the court, 29-year-old Duong Tuan Hau, an employee of national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines, apologised to affected patients and the public for his wrongdoings.

According to the indictment, he was sent to quarantine on November 15 after working on Flight VN5301 bringing Vietnamese citizens home from Japan.

On November 17, he met two others who were also under quarantine at the facility. After two tests showed he was negative for the coronavirus, he was released but told to quarantine at his home in Bach Dach Street, Ward 2, Tan Binh district.

But during his home quarantine, he came into contact with two people, including a relative, on November 21. One day later, he went to the HCM City University of Technology (HUTECH) for an English test.

On November 28, Hau tested positive for the virus and was sent to a COVID-19 treatment hospital in Cu Chi district.

The two people he met during home quarantine also tested positive.

Total losses in the case were estimated at over 4.47 billion VND, while more than 2,000 people in HCM City had to undergo quarantine at State-designated establishments or at home, the indictment read./. VNA