Hanoi warned amid resurgence of COVID-19 outbreak

Despite the municipal administration launching a range of solutions aimed at controlling the pandemic, there have been several outbreaks and many local cases over recent days, including those related to returnees from pandemic-hit areas.

Consecutively from November 3 to the present, the capital has recorded more than 100 new local COVID-19 cases each day. Indeed, there have been hundreds of F0 cases in the community so far, alongside an array of outbreaks and clusters of infections with unclear origin.

According to health experts, there is set to be new infections detected after life returns to the "new normal" as many people return from epidemic-hit areas, with many failing to comply with regulations regarding isolation and medical declarations.

Furthermore, the reopening of venues such as restaurants and shopping centres, has attracted a large number of customers. This can be considered natural due to people staying indoors for a long period, meaning people's demand for travel, eating, and gatherings has increased.

It is also worth mentioning that the awareness of a part of the population regarding adherence to pandemic prevention and control is not as high as expected, while many remain apathetic donning wearing masks in public and making complete health declarations by scanning QR codes.

According to expert Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor of the Center for Emergency Response to Public Health Events under the Ministry of Health, currently all activities in Hanoi have returned back to the normal. However, it is still not possible to loosen regulations relating to pandemic prevention and control as the vaccination rate remains low in many localities. Indeed, the high number of returnees to Hanoi from pandemic-hit areas is also seen as contributory factor to ease transmission.

Amid the complicated pandemic situation and the growing rate of fresh infections, competent agencies have yet to trace contacts of infected people. This should be done in the narrowest possible range to avoid affecting production and business activities as well as people’s lives.

The facts indicate that there are a portion of people who have already been vaccinated, but still subjectively think that after inoculation, they may only suffer from a mild form of the disease or not get the virus. For that reason, many fail to strictly follow the 5K recommendations set out by the Ministry of Health - khau trang (facemask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering) and khai bao y te (health declaration), Phu analysed.

Phu stated that the risk of a COVID-19 outbreak remains very high and unpredictable. Therefore, it must be considered necessary to take drastic countermeasures moving forward. As a result, Hanoi needs to devise a plan to fulfill the responsibilities of the people, stringently enforce disease prevention measures for themselves, for their families, for the community, and society, he emphasized.

Along with this measures, it remains imperative to strictly implement 5k regulations, whilst also severely penaliseingcases of people who do not abide by pandemic prevention and control measures.

Hanoi, as well as other provinces, must strictly control returnees from pandemic-hit areas in order to promptly detect and implement appropriate pandemic prevention and control measures. Returnees must be closely monitored, tested, and isolated according to instructions.

Furthermore, fully-vaccinated people still must strictly follow regulations relating to disease prevention and control.

Khong Minh Tuan, deputy director of the Hanoi Centre for Disease Control (CDC), said that the detection of many cases in the community is not surprising at all. To avoid the risk of spreading the pandemic to the wider community, it is therefore necessary to be self-disciplined to prevent the disease and follow the Ministry of Health’s 5K message.