Authorities in the northern Vietnamese province of Quang Ninh have told all students to stay home and have suspended passenger transport operations after a community-based COVID-19 infection was detected in the locality.

The provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control convened an urgent meeting on Wednesday night and decided to activate the highest level of epidemic prevention and control measures.

A 31-year-old man who works at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh was among the two local COVID-19 infections confirmed by the health ministry on Thursday morning.

The man had been experiencing a fever, dry cough, and sore throat when he went to the hospital for a check-up.

He was then tested for the novel coronavirus. The result returned positive at the Quang Ninh Center for Disease Control on Wednesday evening.

Chairman of the Quang Ninh People’s Committee Nguyen Tuong Van has ordered relevant agencies in the province to trace and conduct COVID-19 tests on all direct and indirect contacts of the patient.

Local residents have also been asked to assist authorities in this effort.

Chairman Van also asked all students, from kindergarten to university levels, to stay home from January 28 to the end of January 31.

Gatherings of large crowds will be restricted, while local authorities will cancel unnecessary meetings to focus on dealing with the new infection chain.

The provincial Department of Transport was tasked with setting up COVID-19 checkpoints at all entrances of the province.

The transport department has suspended inter-provincial and intra-provincial passenger transport activities, namely coaches, ferries, buses, and taxis, from 6:00 am Thursday until further notice.

All vehicles of these services must return to their stations and be thoroughly disinfected, while drivers and employees must have their health closely monitored.

By noon on Thursday, Vietnam had confirmed 82 more local coronavirus infections, taking the day’s count to 84.

Among them, 73 were registered in northern Hai Duong Province while the rest were in Quang Ninh.

The country has documented 1,635 coronavirus patients so far, with 1,430 recoveries and 35 virus-related deaths.

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