Da Nang authorities on Tuesday found 11 people gathering at a private house for a bash, breaking the city’s social distancing measures to curb the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Police officers in Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang inspected a house on Vu Tong Phan Street early in the morning and identified 11 adults partying with alcohol and nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas.

Identity checks on the group members found them to be from several different localities, including Quang Nam, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Phu Yen, and Da Nang.

They all admitted that they had bought three balloons containing recreational nitrous oxide, better known as funky balls, online.

Nitrous oxide is a colorless gas that creates a feeling of intoxication when inhaled, according to the Alcohol and Drug Foundation.

A further investigation into the case is underway.

This is not the first time police have caught young people ignoring social distancing regulations in Da Nang.

Municipal police officers on Monday prevented a group of eight young people from gathering on Thuan Phuoc Bridge.

Earlier that same day, police officers in Khue My Ward of Ngu Hanh Son District discovered six unregistered guests at a local villa.

The individuals confessed to having leased the villa in order to live together and use drugs. They later tested positive for synthetic narcotics.

On Sunday, police from Hoa Ninh Commune in the suburban district of Hoa Vang found seven people drinking alcohol near Hoa Trung Lake.

As of Thursday morning, Vietnam had reported a total of 883 COVID-19 cases, including 322 imported patients who were quarantined upon arrival since the pandemic first hit the Southeast Asian country in January.

Four-hundred and twenty-one local infections have been confirmed since July 25, when Da Nang recorded Vietnam’s first community-based COVID-19 case after the country had gone 99 days without any local transmission.

So far, 409 COVID-19 patients have been cleared of the virus while 18 COVID-19-related deaths have been recorded.

Enhanced social distancing guidelines were previously implemented in Da Nang City from July 28 until August 11 to curb the spread of the virus. The period was extended on Wednesday due to continued community transmission.

Residents are required to stay at home, only go out for essential needs like buying food, medicine, or work.

Public gatherings outside of schools, offices, and hospitals are limited to two people and a minimum distance of two meters between one another must be maintained.

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