A police officer who was on duty at a COVID-19 checkpoint in Ho Chi Minh City has tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

The officer works at the police station in Phu Trung Ward, Tan Phu District, Pham Minh Man, the district chairman, confirmed on Monday morning.

From May 28 to 31, he was on duty at a checkpoint at Tan Phu District Hospital, which was temporarily locked down following the detection of some COVID-19 patients.

On June 1, the police officer had his samples collected for coronavirus testing, and the result on Sunday suggested that he might have been infected with the disease.

He went to the Ho Chi Minh City Police Hospital in District 5 on the same day for another test and the result came back positive.

Local authorities have been tracking all of his direct and indirect contacts for quarantine and testing.

As of Monday morning, one of his direct contacts, who is the head of the Phu Trung Ward military command, had also tested positive for the pathogen.

Another direct contact and 89 indirect contacts of the policeman work at the headquarters of the Tan Phu People’s Committee, according to Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper.

Therefore, the Tan Phu People’s Committee has suspended all face-to-face interactions and only provides online services.

Local residents can contact the administration via its hotline.

Vietnam has documented 8,883 COVID-19 cases as of Monday afternoon, with 3,368 recoveries and 53 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has reported 5,758 local infections in 39 out if its 63 provinces and cities since April 27, including 402 cases in Ho Chi Minh City.

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