Vietnamese authorities have imposed isolation on the entirety of a commune with more than 14,000 people after two karaoke hostesses were confirmed as coronavirus cases in a northern province on Wednesday.

The lockdown of Hai Duong Province’s Tan Truong Commune will last for 21 days from 6:00 pm on Wednesday, according to a decision signed the same day by provincial chairman Nguyen Duong Thai.

The two karaoke hostesses, both 20 years old, had a complicated travel history so local authorities had put forward the lockdown to the provincial administration, said Vu Van Thuan, chairman of Tan Truong.

“The commune has over 14,000 residents,” Thuan explained.

“It also accommodates many industrial parks so a lot of factory workers live here.”

The two karaoke service girls had come into contact with an infected patient when they were confirmed to catch the virus on Wednesday.

The patient’s mother, wife, child, and close friend were also recorded as COVID-19 cases afterward.

Hai Duong is now considered the epicenter of Vietnam because 277 out of 366 local infections documented since January 28 were registered in the province.

The Southeast Asian country had spent almost two months detecting zero domestic cases before the new wave hit.

It has documented 1,948 coronavirus patients as of Thursday morning, with 1,461 recoveries and virus-related 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

Health officials confirmed 84 local transmissions on January 28, 62 on January 29, 61 on January 30, 31 on January 31, 32 on February 1, 31 on February 2, 28 on February 3, and 37 on February 4 morning.

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