Violations of COVID-19 prevention and control regulations to be handled strictly

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan
Phuc has assigned the Ministry of Transport and the Committee for Management of
State Capital at Enterprises to consider the responsibility of Vietnam Airlines
and its flight attendant for violations of prevention and control
regulations, heard a on December 2.

Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien
Dung said the Ministry of Transport has also decided to suspend the head of the
flight crew from work for 15 days for responsibility clarification.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Ngoc Dong said individuals
and the national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines must take the responsibility for
the case, which, he said, is very serious as it has affected the community as
well as the country’s pandemic prevention and control efforts over the past
time.

The individuals and collectives involved, therefore,
must be handled strictly in line with legal regulations, the deputy minister stressed.

According to Deputy Minister of Health Truong Quoc
Cuong, as of 18:00 on December 2, his ministry identified 800 people who had close
contact with the COVID-19 patient (F1), and 788 people who had close contact
with F1s (F2).

As many 737 out of the 800 people have been tested for
the coronavirus, with four positive.

The health ministry is joining hands with other
relevant ministries and agencies to roll out drastic measures in order to
prevent the spread of the epidemic within the community.

The PM has also asked the areas at a high risk of COVDI-19
transmission to consider social distancing, and stressed that protecting the
public’s health is the most important task.

According to Ho Chi Minh City’s Health Department, the
male flight attendant who was confirmed as COVID-19 Patient No. 1,342 violated
disease prevention regulations while he was under concentrated and home
quarantine, thus making him and another man (Patient No. 1,347) be infected with
the SARS-CoV-2.

The Vietnam Airlines staff is a crew member of Flight
VN5021 from Japan to Can Tho on November 14, the department said.

While staying at a quarantine site of the national
flag carrier in Tan Binh district of Ho Chi Minh City from November 14 to 18,
the patient had contact with a colleague who is Patient No. 1,325 serving on another
flight.

After testing negative for the coronavirus twice,
Patient No. 1,342 was allowed to undergo self-quarantine at his rented house in
Tan Binh district.

During this period, the patient had close contact with
his mother and two friends. The male friend came to share the house with
Patient No. 1,342.

Patient No. 1,342 had his sample collected for the third
test on November 28, and the result was positive.

The three people having close contact with him were
immediately quarantined and tested. Among them, the male friend is positive and
became Patient No. 1,347.

Nguyen Tri Dung, Director of the city’s Centre for
Disease Control, said that Patient No. 1,342 lowered his guard against the
pandemic and did not abide by quarantine regulations, both at concentrated
facility and at home, thus causing disease transmission.

The centre will tighten the implementation of
quarantine regulations, he affirmed./.