Ho Chi Minh City authorities will test those arriving from Da Nang, where three local COVID-19 infections were confirmed on the weekend, since July 1 for the novel coronavirus to stall transmission.

The municipal People’s Committee said in a document issued on Sunday that citizens returning from Da Nang from that date onward will be subject to compulsory health declaration and coronavirus testing.

This move follows the detection of three COVID-19 cases in the community in the beach city on Saturday and Sunday, after Vietnam had gone 99 days without a single locally-transmitted infection. Their sources of infection are still unknown.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) is working on the health declaration procedures, epidemiological investigation, and sampling process in all 24 districts of the city to ensure safety.

Those having respiratory or COVID-19 symptoms are required to wear face masks and visit medical centers to declare their health status and have their samples taken for coronavirus testing, the HCDC said.

They should not use public transportation.

People should contact local health care providers or the HCDC for help if they have had contact with confirmed coronavirus patients or have visited any of Da Nang Hospital, Da Nang C Hospital, and Da Nang Orthopedics and Rehabilitation Hospital. The newly-detected patients had come to these hospitals.

Other people are asked to self-isolate at home and call the hotlines of district-level medical centers for assistance.

Dwellers who have stayed in Ho Chi Minh City for more than 14 days still have to self-quarantine at home until they have tested negative for the new coronavirus.

Those having not been tested should stay calm at home and wait for their turn.

The national government has decided to reinstate enhanced social distancing in Da Nang, a tourist hub, for at least 14 days from Tuesday, after such measures were enforced nationwide in April, when Vietnam was at the peak of the pandemic.

Authorities in the coastal city have banned crowded events and shuttered non-essential services to prevent the virus spread.

The city has stopped receiving inbound tourists as well.

Vietnam has reported 420 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, with 365 recoveries and zero deaths.

The Southeast Asian country documented four community-based infections on the weekend, three in Da Nang and one in Quang Ngai Province.

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