Mr. Le Van Tuan, Chairman of Thanh Phong Commune People's Committee, told VietNamNet that the local government had built shacks to isolate people who are coming home from other provinces to celebrate Tet. He said this is a flexible way of doing things by the local government, with the consent of people whose family members return home for Tet celebration.

However, as this measure went against the general regulations on quarantine, Thuan Phong commune authorities allowed these people to be under home quarantine.

The local official explained that Thanh Phong is a mountainous commune, where most of the houses do not meet isolation conditions, so the local authorities and people agreed to make use of locally available materials to set up tents as an isolation site.

They built shacks with bamboo and palm leaves, divided into 60 separate rooms of 5m2 each for one person.

“Since mid-January, the commune has welcomed about 300 people returning home to celebrate Tet, including about 200 people required for 7-day quarantine at home. All of them are isolated in these shacks or at the village cultural house. It is expected that from now until Tet, an additional 100 people will return to celebrate Tet", Tuan said.

Previously, the local government of Thieu Phu – another commune in Thanh Hoa - locked the gate of about 30 families whose members returned home to celebrate Lunar New Year as a way to perform home quarantine.

The Ministry of Health on January 22 asked the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to create favorable conditions for local people to return to their hometowns for Lunar New Year 2022. The people can self-monitor their health at home and do not have to conduct medical isolation. If there are symptoms of suspected Covid-19 infection such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, they are required to restrict contact and travel, and immediately notify the local health department for instructions and testing for SARS-CoV- 2.

They built shacks with bamboo and palm leaves, divided into 60 separate rooms of 5m2 each for one person.

The village's cultural house is used as a place of isolation.

Le Duong

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