Director of the provincial Department of Health Văn Công Minh speaks at an urgent meeting held on Saturday. VNA/VNS Photo Thúy Hằng

VĨNH LONG – The Health Department of the southern province of Vĩnh Long has quickly put in quarantine a person who returned from abroad from a pandemic hit country without declaration, conducted COVID-19 tests and traced people who had close contact with this person.

Director of the provincial Department of Health Văn Công Minh reported the actions to an urgent meeting held by the provincial steering board for COVID-19 prevention and control on Saturday as the locality has recorded some people returning from abroad without reporting to authorities.

The director also affirmed that the department has got response measures ready for the case the person tests positive with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

At the event, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Lữ Quang Ngời ordered the local health sector to make meticulous preparation in terms of equipment and human resources for quarantine and treatment for COVID-19 patients.

The police force must work closely with localities in contact tracing, he said, adding members of the steering board should stand ready to activate responses and prevention measures when a COVID-19 case is detected.

Communication work should be paid due attention to raising public awareness of the importance of medical declaration.

Vĩnh Long has documented five COVID-19 infections so far, all of which were detected in quarantine. The patients are receiving treatment at the hospital for tuberculosis and lung diseases. In addition, 133 Vietnamese returning from foreign countries are being quarantined in a military facility in Loan Mỹ Commune, Tam Bình District. VNS