Foreign visitors at Temple of Literature - a popular historical site in Hanoi

At a session of the municipal steering committee on the fight against the COVID-19, the official also asked hotels and other accommodation facilities to provide information on their customers, especially those from epidemic-hit regions starting from March 1, in an effort to intensify the fight.

He highlighted that in order to contain the spread of the disease, the city is mobilising the whole political system into the work so as to minimise the number of infection cases, prepare all the material necessities and push up the communications work.

The central districts, especially Hoan Kiem, are facing very high risks as they are frequented by foreign tourists, that is why locals need to refrain from crows and salespersons need to wear face masks and keep a safe distance from customers, Chung specified.

The municipal Department of Tourism was assigned to work with their peers in other localities to work out options aimed at reducing the risks, and the Department of Health instructed to prepare essential equipment. Meanwhile, offices, stations and public places must be sterilised.

Hanoi plans on communal quarantine measures 

Hà Nội People’s Committee has ordered its subsidiaries to develop plans to quarantine a whole village or commune in case of emergency to control and prevent COVID-19.

Nguyễn Đức Chung, head of the city's People's Committee, issued Document No 854/UBND-KGVX on accelerating preventative measures over the SARS-CoV-2 virus outbreak including restricting the organisation of meetings and mass gatherings as well as applying IT solutions in administrative procedures, education and health declaration.

The Department of Health was asked to be in charge of coordinating medical facilities, zoning, inspecting and treating infected cases, arranging quarantine areas at hospitals to isolate people in close contact with COVID-19 patients and those returning from infected areas who suffer fever, cough and shortness of breath within 14 days.

The department was also urged to prepare quarantine facilities besides those of military and police, ensure medical supplies and instruct localities to build quarantine plans over villages and communes.

All people who spread fake news, triggering social panic are asked to be strictly handled, according to the document.

The Department of Tourism will work with hotels and lodging service providers to isolate occupants when needed.

In case foreigners who are kept in isolation want to leave Việt Nam, they will have to notify local authorities, undergo medical examination, wear masks, disinfect hands regularly and go to airports on private vehicles to limit contact with other people.

Districts’ People's Committees are responsible for collaborating with related agencies to identify lodging of all passengers on flight No VN0054 from London to Hà Nội on March 3 and people in close contact with them for quarantine.

Quarantined patients permitted to leave isolation area in Hanoi

Up to 248 people who recently returned from the Republic of Korea were granted permission to leave a quarantine area on March 11 after 14 days of staying at a military school in Son Tay town on the outskirts of Hanoi.

Foreign tourists in Hanoi wander streets without face masks

Many foreign travelers visiting relic sites around Hanoi are not wearing face masks amid the increasingly complicated developments surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic.