The new patient is a female worker from the northern province of Vinh Phuc, who returned to Vietnam from Wuhan last month on a Southern China flight, the same flight taken by three other Vietnamese previously tested positive to the deadly virus.
The other cases consist of two Chinese nationals (a man and his son, with one already recovering), a Vietnamese hotel receptionist having contact with the Chinese father and son, and a US citizen transiting Wuhan on his flight to Vietnam.
    |
 |
|
A test kit contains biological samples suspected to be infected with the 2019-nCoV in Hanoi's National Hospital of Tropical Diseases (Photo: VnExpress) |
At least 20 cities and provinces nationwide have decided to temporarily close schools from February 3 in an effort to stem the spreading of the virus.
The move was made following Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s instruction to give students a temporary break over the concern about the novel virus.
A total of 137 universities and colleges have also announced to extend the Lunar New Year holiday for one or two more weeks.
The National Super Cup – THACO 2019 has also been postponed because of the nCoV outbreak. The Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) has decided to cancel the tournament’s opening match between Hanoi FC and Ho Chi Minh City FC on February 7. It said the match would be held on February 21 or March 1 instead.
On February 2, companies in Vietnam were asked to suspend receiving Chinese workers who return from infected areas in China after the Lunar New Year holiday, following an urgent notice issued by the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs.
Those who have already arrived in Vietnam must be quarantined and monitored for 14 days, the notice says.
Industrial parks, processing and economic zones across the country must also halt granting new working permits to foreigners from infected areas.
As of 7:30am on February 3, the death toll from the coronavirus has climbed to 362, including 361 in China and one in the Philippines. A total of 17,387 people around the globe have been confirmed infected with the virus, including 17,205 in China, according to the Ministry of Health.
Source: VNA