The headquarter of Brother Company where two men from Lai Châu Province work. Photo courtesy of the company

LAI CHÂU — Authorities in the northern province of Lai Châu's Tân Uyên District have fined two people VNĐ15 million (US$653) each for making inaccurate health declarations.

Lò Văn Hải and Lù Văn Ban were both born in 2002 and live in Tân Uyên District’s Trung Đồng Commune. They worked for Brother Company in Hải Dương Province’s Cẩm Giàng District from November last year to February 4.

However, they deliberately concealed information and declared that they worked at Hòa Lạc Hi-tech Industrial Zone in Hà Nội’s Thạch Thất District after returning to Lai Châu on February 5.

On February 14, upon receiving information from Hải Dương Provincial Police that Lò Văn Hải was an F1 case who had direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person working in the same company, Hải was sent to a concentrated quarantine centre in the province.

The district’s Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has traced people who had contact with Hải and taken samples for testing.

Lò Văn Ban was also quarantined as he returned from a COVID-19 hotspot.

Provincial authorities have ordered people returning from Hai Duong Province’s Cẩm Giàng District from January 15 and those who have travelled to Hải Dương since February 13 to contact the nearest health centres to make health declaration and take COVID-19 testing.

High alert

Việt Nam reported no new locally-transmitted COVID-19 cases from 6pm on Tuesday to 6am on Wednesday, keeping the country's total number of infections at 2,311.

Among the cases, 1,412 were infected in the community, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

At present, a total of 145,925 people who had close contact with confirmed COVID-19 patients or entered Việt Nam from pandemic-hit regions are under quarantine nationwide.

Among patients still undergoing treatment, 37 have tested negative for coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 once, 29 twice and 20 three times.

The death toll related to the disease remained at 35, while 1,573 patients have been given the all-clear from the virus.

According to the Ministry of Health, the pandemic is basically under control in 12 out of 13 provinces and cities which have reported domestically-infected outbreaks, excluding Hải Dương.

However, the ministry has recommended ministries, agencies, localities, political and social organisations stay on the highest level of vigilance against the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Negligence in pandemic controlling work should be avoided and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases should be the central task, the ministry said.

Localities with international borders have been asked to strengthen the control of borders to strictly manage entry and exit, preventing illegal entry which risks spreading the virus in the community.

Those who help people cross the border illegally should be prosecuted.

The ministry advised people to remain proactive in pandemic prevention and control by continuing to wear face masks when going out, disinfecting frequently, maintaining a safe distance, refraining from gatherings, and making medical declarations. —  VNS