Tracing for Covid-19 to uphold self-awareness of quarantine at home or residential place

To trace suspected cases related to the Covid-19 outbreak in Da Nang City, Quang Nam, and Quang Ngai; Binh Duong has urgently applied strictly 14-day quarantine measures. All people leaving and returning from epidemic provinces together with their family members must be quarantined and monitored at home.

A quarantine zone of Di An municipal Medical Center.

Governmental branches and unions to join hands

In Di An City, as of August 9, the whole city had 1,007 people coming back from Da Nang City, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and need to isolate themselves at home. Governmental branches and unions of Di An City have together encouraged these cases to isolate themselves at home, strictly comply with epidemic prevention regulations. Dr. Do Viet Hung, Deputy Director of Di An City Medical Center, said: “After investigation and checks, in the area there are many people coming back from Da Nang City, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai within the past 14 days, it is necessary to quarantine on the spot. The city health branch has been actively in collaboration with branches, unions, and neighborhood management to instruct people in self-quarantine to measure body temperature, record their health status daily.

The Center also showed families who are isolated how to disinfect their house, wipe floor, surfaces, door handles with soap or detergent. The center sends officials to regularly monitor health status, records information, and report daily. In addition, the city Medical Center also recommends infectious prevention measures to families of quarantined people. During the implementation, the city's health authority have some advantages, due to the attention and direction of Anti-Covid-19 Steering Committee of Di An City, other branches, unions, and the support of people". Up to now, Di An City has not detected any cases of Covid-19 infection; and has suspected 18 cases, all 18 cases were sampled and tested negative to Covid-19.

Meanwhile, Di An City had 650 cases of self-monitoring of health condition, 383 cases of home quarantine, 15 cases of concentrated quarantine, 16 suspected cases were sampled and tested negative to Covid-19. Thuan An City urges all people, who came to or from epidemic regions, to make medical declaration, and do home isolation. Civil servants, officials and their family, who came to or from epidemic regions, do not implement prevention measures, then heads of their agencies and related units are responsible for this. Quarantine enforcement is applied if necessary.

To perform seriously

Currently, home quarantine is strengthened by local governments, attracting the involvement of all branches, unions, each locality, zone, and family of people who are quarantined. As of August 9, Binh Duong had 3,710 cases of home quarantine, 42 cases of concentrated quarantine and 1,673 cases of health self-monitoring at home.

The success of home quarantine work is brought about by not only the seriousness in implementation process but also the awareness of quarantined persons. Nguyen Van Than (Di An ward, Di An City), said: “I've come back from Da Nang city to Binh Duong for 14 days. Before that, local medical station allowed me to isolate myself in a private room at home, ensuring cleanliness and ventilation. I take my temperature myself 3 times/day, record the results and my health status. Every day I do not go out of my own room, limit direct contacts with everyone in the house, regularly wash my hands with soap. In particular, I often contact the medical staff, inform them about my health situation. I also don't eat with other family members.

Huynh Thanh Ha, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said about the organization and implementation of medical isolation at home and residential place: Decision No. 345 of Ministry of Health guides the medical quarantine at home, residential places, and is done in accordance with the Anti-Infectious Disease Act 2007. The organizational process is carried out strictly, in which the role of stakeholders is upheld. Health staff investigates and makes a list of people to be isolated to record information about family address, place of residence, personal phone number, name and phone number of contactable persons in case of emergency. Health staff give phone number of health agencies to the quarantine and their families; cooperate with local authorities to go to house or residential place of quarantined persons to inform requirements, purpose, and timing of the quarantine for isolated persons to understand and voluntarily implement”.

 Reported by Kim Ha - Translated by Ngoc Huynh