A testing site in Son Tra District - PHOTOS: HA MY

Tanya Greyling, who is from South Africa, made a V-sign when posing for a photo last week. Greyling was attending one of the sessions where samples are taken from expatriates in the coastal city of Danang in central Vietnam for Covid-19 testing.

Greyling, currently teaching English in Son Tra District in Danang, said in a short interview with the Saigon Times that she appreciated the Danang government for the way it was handling the Covid-19 pandemic in the city. The government wonderfully treated the infected cases and paid due attention to the expat communities in Danang, she said. Greyling also expressed her gratitude and said she felt safe when her samples were taken. The Danang authorities were doing whatever it takes to protect residents and expatriates, she added.

Greyling was at one of the testing sites hosted by Danang authorities. These sessions of sample-taking took place in two phases with the first from August 21-25 for expatriates in Son Tra District and the second from August 26-28 for foreigners in Hai Chau District. Up to 2,180 expatriates in Son Tra and about 1,000 from Hai Chau joined the testing.

Tanya Greyling, one of the expatriates joining the testing sessions in Son Tra District

Expatriates filling testing forms

Authorities said the massive testing aimed to help expatriates feel assured and confident when they are remaining in Danang.

At the testing sites, health workers strictly followed the steps required of pandemic prevention. Meanwhile, participants had to conform to social distancing measures. All have to have their temperature taken, wear a face mask and wash their hands. The health workers were assisted by volunteers who spoke English or some other foreign languages.

Health workers taking a sample form an expatriate

According to Phan Minh Tam, a member of the Health Center of Son Tra District, during the sample-taking process, she encountered some difficulties. For instance, expatriates were from different countries, and many of whom could not speak English. This problem was solved by voluntary interpreters who spoke Korean, Thai and Chinese.

Explaining the testing, Nguyen Dac Xung, vice chairman of Son Tra District, said it was organized not only to detect and contain new infections to prevent them from spreading in communities but also help expatriates feel more assured when they were in Danang.

Following Son Tra and Hai Chau, the testing would be continued in other parts of Danang.

The first new case of Covid-19 was detected in Danang on July 26, after 99 days of no community transmission. Social distancing measures were immediately imposed on the entire city from July 28 and was to be effective for 14 days. On August 12, the social distancing regulations have been extended until there is a new notification.

By 8:30a.m. August 28, Danang had recorded 392 infected cases of Covid-19. Of them, 178 recovered and 26 died. Totally, Vietnam had 1,036 infected cases, of whom 637 recovered and 30 died. SGT