HCM City sets up quarantine task force to cope with rising COVID-19 cases

Moving forward, the task force will be primarily responsible for assisting the existing response teams and relevant units at district health centres as they implement plans to handle rising COVID-19 cases within the local community, at schools, along with those detected at industrial parks and exporting processing zones.

The team will therefore assess the pandemic situation, determine the scope of the outbreak, and devise concrete scenarios aimed at dealing with the pandemic in a timely manner. The establishment of the task force also serves as a bridge for the HCDC and other localities to co-ordinate smoothly in order to stamp out outbreaks as quickly as possible.

The number of teams will therefore be flexibly changed in accordance with the southern city’s pandemic level in the community.

Tang Chi Thuong, director of the HCM City Department of Health, said this is part of activities aimed at improving the quarantine capacity of the health sector and the country's strategy to adapt to the pandemic in flexible, safe, and effective manner.

By the end of November 11, Ho Chi Minh City has reported 443,212 positive COVID-19 cases and 17,055 deaths, thereby making it the locality with the most cases nationwide.