Hanoi authorities ordered schools to close one week early for the Lunar New Year holiday, as a new COVID-19 outbreak has hit the capital this week.

The closure was initially scheduled to start on February 8.

All students attending kindergartens, elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, vocational training centers, and regular education centers in Hanoi will stay home from Monday.

The end date of the holiday, which was previously slated for February 16, remains unchanged.

The Hanoi People’s Committee ordered the municipal Department of Education and Training to guide lower-level authorities and school facilities to strictly adhere to the prime minister’s directive and instructions from city leaders on COVID-19 prevention and control.

The administration also encourages a proactive stance on the developments of the epidemic to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and school employees in the capital city.

On Saturday, Hanoi’s Department of Health confirmed a third-grade student studying at Xuan Phuong Elementary School as a new case of COVID-19 infection. 

All classmates and teachers of this student were deemed to be high-risk individuals and were thus brought to obligatory quarantine.

The capital city has recorded 11 local coronavirus infections since a new wave struck Vietnam earlier this week.

Vietnam has confirmed 1,781 COVID-19 patients since the pathogen first emerged in the country on January 23 last year, according to the health ministry's data.

The Southeast Asian country had detected zero local infections for nearly two months before it uncovered new outbreaks on Thursday.

Authorities are conducting quick and extensive contact tracing to contain the new wave of infections, at a time when the Lunar New Year holiday, Vietnam’s biggest festival, is less than two weeks away.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!