Three more patients, including two Britons and one Vietnamese, have fully recovered from the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and are allowed to be discharged from the hospital in Da Nang on Friday, according to the Ministry of Health.

They are patients No. 22, No. 23., and No. 35, the ministry said in a statement the same day.

Patient No. 22 is a 60-year-old UK citizen who was hospitalized in Da Nang on March 8 and tested negative for the virus on March 19, 23, and 25.

Patient No. 23 is a 66-year-old UK citizen who was admitted to the hospital in Da Nang on March 8 and tested negative for the virus on March 19, 23, 25, and 26.

Patient No. 35 is a 28-year-old Vietnamese who was hospitalized on March 10 and tested negative for the virus on March 20, 23, and 25.

The three were discharged from the hospital on Friday, the Da Nang Department of Health said, adding that for safety reasons the two Britons will be quarantined in Son Tra District for 14 days while the other patient will self-isolate at home for the same duration.

Vietnam has confirmed 153 COVID-19 cases so far, with 20 having fully recovered and no death having been recorded.

A total of 34 out of 133 active patients have tested negative for the novel coronavirus but they are not discharged, pending more instructions given by health workers.  

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said in a directive on Thursday that Vietnam bans meetings or events where there are 20 people or above to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Any gathering of more than 10 people outside public offices, schools, and hospitals is also prohibited.

He ordered local administrations nationwide to start closing non-essential services on Saturday such as massage parlors, discos, tourist sites, entertainment places, cinemas, beer parlors, and restaurants, as Vietnam steps up its fight against the virus. 

The novel coronavirus has infected almost 530,000 people and killed nearly 24,000 others around the world.

More than 123,000 patients have recovered.

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