Rồng Bridge spans the Hàn River in Đà Nẵng. The city will be locked down for a week, starting from August 16. — VNS Photo Lê Lâm

ĐÀ NẴNG — Đà Nẵng will lock down seven districts for a week, starting from 8am, Monday (August 16) to midnight on August 23, as the number of coronavirus cases has still remained at an average of 70 per day for 15 consecutive days, two weeks since it enforced the stringent Government’s Directive 16 across the city since late July.

The city’s People’s Committee released a statement on Saturday morning, saying testing will be accelerated during the lock-down period to eliminate possible unknown sources of infection in the community and identify ‘green zones’.

Despite a sufficient supply of food and commodities, residents flocked to supermarkets and stores to stock up before the decision came into force.

Earlier, the city locked down five wards – Nại Hiên Đông, An Hải Bắc, Mân Thái, Thọ Quang and Phước Mỹ – in the high-risk Sơn Trà peninsula from August 3, but delayed deliveries of food in the area raised concerns among the 160,000 people in the hotspot zone.

The city has asked relevant agencies and food suppliers to bring necessities to living quarters during the seven-day lockdown period as road travel would be restricted.

It also called for limits on people at offices, and 30 per cent of workers will remain at factories in six industrial zones and parks for the week.

A COVID-19 checkpoint at Nại Hiên Đông ward in Sơn Trà District of Đà Nẵng. No one is allowed to go out from August 16, while all services and shops will be shut down for the week. — Photo courtesy of Hoàng Quân

Factories are advised to implement the 'three-on-site' model to stop workers travelling between their homes and work places.

It said no one is allowed to go out, while shops and services will be closed.

Chairman of Đà Nẵng People’s Committee Lê Trung Chinh later clarified the groups of people that would be allowed outside during the week-long hard lockdown – which includes people engaged in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts; shippers and transporters of medicines and medical supplies or chemicals, food and essentials for the people; transporters/recipients of imported/exported goods from/to the port; post office workers; environment workers; utility workers (electricity, water, telecommunications); people going out for medical needs (including COVID-19 vaccination or tests); people leaving for international airport; and reporters.

According to latest report from the city’s Centre for Disease Control (CDC), 16 cases out of 58 found on Friday (August 13) were from unknown sources living in the community.

Thọ Quang fishing port and Hòa Cường wholesale market were identified as two major clusters with 51 infection cases as per test results released on Friday.

Sơn Trà District is the highest risk zone as 115 hotspots were found in the five wards, accounting for 50 per cent of the city’s infection zones.

At the city’s People’s Council meeting last week, director of the city’s health department, Ngô Thị Kim Yến warned that the city’s health system would be overloaded if number of infection cases surpasses 6,000.

Volunteers bring food and fresh vegetables to residents in the locked down zones in Sơn Trà district. Đà Nẵng will close all services from August 16 to August 23. — Photo courtesy of Mân Thái ward

She said only 300 beds were reserved for seriously-ill COVID-19 patients, while 37 severe patients (3.5 per cent of total infection cases) are being treated at hospitals. Forty-nine COVID-19 patients had been released from hospital since May.

The city has recorded 1,072 infections as of Friday.

As of Friday, 77,000 people had been given the first shot of vaccine, seven per cent of total population, while 7,000 were fully vaccinated.

CDC also said two police officers had been infected with SARS-COV-2 when working at COVID-19 checkpoints in Sơn Trà District, and they have been quarantined. — VNS