Central region prepares to receive HCM City returnees

Several provinces in the central region have prepared for the return of residents who were working and studying in virus-hit areas in Ho Chi Minh City.

Quang Nam to receive returnees from HCM City

Quang Nam People's Committee Chairman Le Tri Thanh said Quang Nam residents who are working in HCM City can register to return home. Allowing people to return home is being proposed as a way to help people struggling to get by in HCM City, and would lessen the burden on HCM City authorities. People from disadvantaged backgrounds will be given priority.

Thanh said. "The first plan is to prepare buses and medical staff in Quang Nam to go to HCM City to receive the returnees. The second plan is to prepare everything in HCM City then bring the returnees to Quang Nam. We asked the Military Command and Department of Transport to draft the most suitable plans to bring people home as soon as possible, in order to limit cases in which people run away from quarantine centres."

He went on to say that Quang Nam residents who were working in Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc and Dong Nai would also be given support to return home.

Binh Dinh Province has received thousands of returnees after HCM City applied social distancing rules, most of them are students and workers. All of the returnees were given a quick test as they arrived in Binh Dinh.

Le Quang Hung, director of the Department of Health said the number of returnees had decreased. However, they would still prepare plans to receive more returnees in case there was a request from HCM City authorities. Binh Dinh would set up more quarantine centres at Quy Nhon University and Quang Trung University.

Nguyen Tuan Thanh, vice chairman of Binh Dinh People's Committee said, "We have sent more people to the checkpoints and buy more quick test kits. We have worked closely with locality authorities to monitor people who are self-isolated at homes or quarantined at centres."

Khanh Hoa authorities also reported thousands of its residents working and studying in HCM City. Khanh Hoa People's Committee Chairman Nguyen Tan Tuan said returnees from HCM City would be tested and home-isolated for at least seven days.

However, since the situation in Khanh Hoa is also complicated, Tuan encouraged people to stay in HCM City. Nha Trang City has already applied strict social distancing rules. Cam Ranh City, Cam Lam District and Dien Khanh District have also applied social distancing.