Vietnam’s Can Tho beefs up control of returnees from S.Korea
Authorities in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho, home to a large number of Vietnamese brides married to South Korean husbands, are enacting different strict measures to fight against the spread of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), including quarantining people returning from South Korea.
The COVID-19, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 85,000 people and killed more than 2,900 globally, according to the South China Morning Post.
South Korea has confirmed 16 deaths from over 2,900 infections so far, becoming the biggest cluster of infections outside China.
About 1,024 women in Can Tho, the Mekong Delta’s largest city, are married to South Korean men, while around 116 others are migrant workers in the East Asian country, according to unofficial data from local authorities.
According to Vo Kim Thoa, deputy chairwoman of the Women’s Association of Can Tho City, the association is currently working with a partner in South Korea to confirm the whereabouts of the Vietnamese brides.
“After finding out whether they have returned to Vietnam, we will proceed with quarantine measures,” Thoa said.
Can Tho has established a quarantine camp that can accommodate up to 300 people at a military school to receive Vietnamese citizens returning from China and other COVID-19-affected countries and territories.
A number of people coming back from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, which account for the majority of COVID-19 cases in South Korea, are currently isolated at the military camp, according to Colonel Trinh Hoai Van, deputy commander of Can Tho City’s Military Command.
Cao Minh Chu, director of the local Department of Health, affirmed that 100 percent of passengers arriving at Can Tho International Airport are now required to declare their medical conditions.
The municipal health department has also employed more medical personnel and installed body thermometers at the airport for health monitoring.
The city’s authorities are planning to measure the body temperature of visitors boarding domestic flights in the upcoming time.
Likewise, the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang has set up five quarantine sites that can house about 700 people.
Hau Giang already announced a hotline for any returnee from areas with reported COVID-19 infections.
The province is supervising local families whose members are married to foreigners to advise them to notify local authorities when such members return from abroad.
Tuoi Tre News – February 29, 2020