Secretary of the HCM City Party Committee Nguyen Thien Nhan (standing) (Photo: VNA)
HCM
City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City must
prepare and for at least 50 new COVID-19 cases, said at a recent meeting with the city’s Steering Board for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
Under
a scenario with 50 cases, nearly 14,000 people will have to be quarantined.
The
city has added eight
new COVID-19 cases. Hundreds of thousands of people have returned from Da Nang and the number of cases is
expected to increase. Anyone returning from the area since July 1
should self-quarantine and fill out health declarations, Nhan said.
According
to the city’s Department of Health, more
than 36,000 people returning from Da Nang have made health declarations.
However, airlines’ statistics show that 140,000 people were
on flights from Da Nang to HCM City in July.
The
risk of COVID-19 infections in the community remains high, he said, adding that
migrants’ entry to the city must be strictly controlled.
Services,
production and trade establishments should ensure safety and limit gatherings
of more than 30 people as per the Ministry of Health’s requirements.
Relevant
agencies should strengthen communications about preventive measures
against COVID-19 such as wearing of masks in public, he said, adding that at
least 20 percent of people were not wearing masks in public.
The
city should also ensure a sufficient supply of masks, he added.
Chairman
of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong instructed agencies to fine people
who do not wear masks in public starting on August 5. The maximum
fine will be 300,000 VND (13 USD).
Phong
instructed the Department of Industry and Trade to publish addresses of sites
where masks are sold.
The
city is also encouraging online business, and requiring that
essential goods such as masks and hand sanitizers should be in sufficient
supply. Speculators in these goods will be fined.
As
of August 3, HCM City had recorded a
total of 69 cases. The
city has 234 people with symptoms of respiratory tract infections
which are being watched for, tested and quarantined at hospitals. Of
these, 152 tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. The rest are waiting
for test results.
The
city has one patient who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 again after being
discharged from a branch of National Hospital for Tropical
Diseases on July 30. The patient was tested again after being quarantined
and is now being treated at Cu Chi COVID-19 Treatment Hospital.
A Japanese man
infected with the virus came to the city on July 17-18 and went to many places, including Lotus Company on No Trang Long Street in Binh Thanh District, Fami Company on B4 Sala Street in
District 2, Nam An Market shop on Thao Dien Street in District 2, River Gate
Residence in District 4, and others.
The city’s authorities are tracking 28
people who have had close contact with these patients./.
Source: VietnamPlus
