A man from Vietnam’s Central Highlands has been found having another person replace him at a local COVID-19 quarantine center.

The incident was discovered at a coronavirus quarantine facility established on the premises of a training center of the Department of Public Security in Lam Dong Province, officers confirmed on Monday.

At 9:00 pm on June 2, the quarantine facility received two people who had recently returned to Lam Dong from a virus-hit locality.

According to a decision signed by local authorities, one of the two individuals was 51-year-old D.N.Dung, a resident in Lac Duong District.

However, operators of the quarantine center reviewed personal information and health declarations of all people at the venue on June 4 and noticed that Dung was missing.

They instead discovered 39-year-old T.D.Duy, who was not in the list of quarantined individuals.

During a working session, Duy admitted he had agreed to replace Dung at the quarantine center.

After being notified of the incident, the medical center in Lac Duong District handed over Dung to the quarantine facility later the same day.

Duy was also required to continue his 21-day quarantine period.

In a report, the Lac Duong medical center said that all residents have to wear face masks and protective clothing while they are transported from their homes to local quarantine venues, which explains why the swapping was not detected at the beginning.

The two men also agreed to declare the same address to avoid being caught by authorities, the report added.

They are expected to face commensurate penalties after completing their quarantine period.

Vietnam has documented 9,027 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday morning, with 3,509 recoveries and 53 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

The country has recorded 5,876 local infections in 39 provinces and cities since April 27.  

Lam Dong Province has not detected any cases in this bout, while local authorities have required all people returning from virus-hit areas to undergo a 21-day quarantine period.

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