Flights from South Korea to HCM City and Hanoi airports will be re-directed to Van Don and Can Tho airports. — Photo: tuoitre.vn

The Government's response to the COVID-19 epidemic followed the increasing number of passengers traveling from South Korea to Hanoi and HCM City in the past few days, up thousands of people every day, putting pressure on medical isolation centres of both cities, according to a representative from the Department of Aviation.

The decision only applies to passenger flights. Cargo flights will still land at Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat airports.

The government has directed relevant units to isolate all passengers who are travelling from the affected areas.

Hanoi and HCM City are working together to set up field hospitals to provide enough space for isolation cases.

Dr Nguyen Quang Thong, director of the Disease Control Center of Can Tho City, told Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) newspaper that the centre had increased the number of medical staff at the airport to prepare for passengers on flights from South Korea.

On Sunday, there were three flights from South Korea with a total of 618 passengers, including 85 passengers from Daegu and north Gyeongsang districts, areas in South Korea that have seen more cases, Thong said.

The Can Tho Medical Centre has followed the direction of the Ministry of Health and has isolated all of these passengers at the city’s Military School in O Mon District.

Can Tho airport receives three flights carrying over 600 passengers from RoK

Can Tho International Airport

Can Tho international airport yesterday received three flights carrying 618 passengers, including 85 ones from epidemic areas of Daegu and North Gyeongsang in the Republic of Korea.

The airplanes had to land at the airport because the number of passengers from the Covid- 19 hit country flocking to Tan Son Nhat International Airport is overcrowded.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quang Thong, Director of Can Tho city’s Center for Disease Control, the reception of these three flights had been well-prepared, of which increase of the medical staff at check-in counters, passengers’ separation and isolation areas.

Under a new direction from the Ministry of Health, Can Tho city's medical units gathered passengers from the flights in the isolation area of Can Tho City Military School, based in O Mon District.

Therefore, after checking body temperature and filling medical declarations, all passengers were taken by special purpose vehicles of the Military Command of Can Tho City to the concentration area.

The concentration areas are divided into isolation area for passengers from Daegu and North Gyeongsang, and another area for travellers from RoK’s other localities.

At the moment, there have been a total of 73 people at isolation area for passengers from Daegu and North Gyeongsang, and more than 200 people at isolation areas for travellers from RoK’s other localities as reported.

Three more Vietnamese students returning from South Korea quarantined

Three more Vietnamese students returning from South Korea have been quarantined at a military school in southernmost Ca Mau Province, the provincial COVID-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee has said.

A Vietnamese student returning from South Korea has been quarantined at a military school in northern Hung Yen Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Dinh Tuan

All three students had returned from Incheon, South Korea and arrived at the HCM City-based Tan Son Nhat International Airport on February 28.

The three took a bus to the quarantine area a day later.

Previously, the three students had contacted a friend whose mother tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.

They are currently in good health, the committee said.

The provincial People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Tien Hai has asked authorised agencies to check those who had contacted these three students to give health check-ups and compulsory quarantine if necessary.

The authorised agencies have sprayed disinfectant at all places the students had been.

Reports from the provincial COVID-19 Prevention and Control Steering Committee showed that as many as 14 suspected cases have been quarantined in the province. All are in good health condition.

South Korea has become the COVID-19 epicentre after China. As of Monday morning, the country has reported 476 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of infections here to more than 4,210.

So far, 26 people have died here from COVID-19, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) has revealed.

Vietnam has been clear from the SARS-CoV-2 after the last of 16 infected cases was discharged from hospitals last week. No new infection cases have been reported in the past two weeks. — VNS

International organisations hail Vietnam’s fight against COVID-19

The WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) spoke highly of Vietnam’s performance in preventing and combating COVID-19 at a working session on February 28.

VN border provinces take strict measures to prevent spread of COVID-19

Border authorities in the southern region are strictly controlling all travel through border gates as part of an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Vietnamese PM lauds medical workers’ contributions to COVID-19 fight

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on February 27 praised doctors and medical workers for their great efforts in the fight against COVID-19, saying they have helped bring peace of mind for the public.