A health worker takes a sample from a resident in Nông Sơn District in Quảng Nam Province. About 51 contact cases at a high school in the area were isolated. Photo courtesy Quảng Nam Portal

CENTRAL REGION — The Quảng Nam Province's Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has taken medical samples of 51 people who had close contact with a teacher in Phước Sơn District after he tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 for the first time on Wednesday morning.

The CDC said the man, whose wife was a COVID-19 patient (No 981), 34, invigilated at the final examination in Khâm Đức High School in Phước Sơn on August 8-9.

It said there were 32 teachers and 13 students who reported close contact with the teacher during the examination, while the number of indirect contacts is being collected.

Earlier, his wife (patient No 981) had visited Đà Nẵng Hospital for minor surgery from July 13-17, and she tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 on August 18.

The CDC will take more tests on teachers and those in close contact before releasing official reports.

All close contacts have been quarantined at the high school, while disinfection has been conducted in the area.

The city of Hội An offered free tests for all foreign tourists staying in the city before leaving.

About 400 foreigners have been stranded at hotels in the city since the social distancing orders began in Hội An in early August.

The city said all foreigners are required to remain at their hotels in the city for at least two weeks before leaving.

In responding to COVID-19, Đà Nẵng will exempt tuition fees in the first school term for all students at State-owned and private kindergartens, primary schools, junior secondary and high schools from January to May of 2020-21 schoolyear.

The first social distancing orders also caused damage to the city’s socio-economic growth in the first quarter of this year, while schools were suspended for three months.

Following the tuition fee exemption, each student will be given a reduction from VNĐ15,000 (US$0.7) to VNĐ95,000 ($4.1) per month.

The city also decided to reduce land-rent tax for all individuals, organisations and businesses with state-owned property in the city for a year.

In the first quarter of 2020, the city’s tourism sector – a key industry – recorded losses of VNĐ5.7 trillion, while nearly 3,000 enterprises were hit by the coronavirus, according to the planning and investment department.

About 26,000 workers lost their jobs, while 31,000 others had to work at home or online with a 50 per cent salary cut.

In the second social distancing period, which began from July 28, 12 enterprises at industrial zones (IZs) had to suspend production as six workers tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. There were 472 enterprises with 77,000 workers at six IZs in the city.

On Wednesday, the city warned all people who had visited the wholesale Hòa Cường Market in Hải Châu District on August 15-18 to visit the city’s CDC for testing. It said at least 1,400 people would have had close contact with the COVID-19 patient. VNS