Staffers working at passenger and cargo ports, airports, and bus stations in Thua Thien-Hue Province in central Vietnam will be tested for COVID-19 in order to minimize the risk of transmission on the job, the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said in Wednesday’s statement.

More specifically, the statement mandated that employees of Phu Bai Airport, Thuan An Port, Chan May Port, Hue Railway Station, Northern Bus Station, and Southern Bus Station be tested for the virus.

Also according to the statement, Thua Thien – Hue will implement 21-day quarantine and real-time PCR tests on all residents returning from Hai Duong and Quang Ninh Provinces, as well as identified COVID-19 outbreak sites in Hanoi and other areas specified by the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, entrants to the province are required to submit medical declarations.

The testing process is assigned to the Hue Central Hospital and lower-level health authorities.

Thua Thien – Hue officials have also encouraged residents to download the mobile application Hue-S, a homegrown smart solution which can track movement through QR code check-ins at certain destinations in order to aid in contact tracing.

Regarding individuals currently isolated in quarantine centers, the province promised to provide meals for those who will be spending the Lunar New Year holiday in government facilities.

Answering questions from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, Phan Ngoc Tho, chairman of Thua Thien-Hue Province People’s Committee, refuted speculation that the province would impose quarantine on entrants from provinces without COVID-19 outbreaks.

“I will ask the municipal Department of Health to announce a full list of outbreak sites on Thursday," Tho said.

"Only entrants from these locations will be subject to quarantine.”

Vietnam has documented 1,948 coronavirus cases, including 1,059 domestic infections, as of Thursday morning, with 1,461 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The majority of the domestically-transmitted cases were linked to Hai Duong and Quang Ninh, both located in northern Vietnam.

The country confirmed the first two local cases on January 28, having gone nearly two months without any community-based infection.

It has logged 366 local infections since a new COVID-19 wave hit it on January 27.

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