Midnight mission: Passengers taken to Hanoi quarantine facility

On the night of March 19, the student dormitory zone in Hanoi’s Hoang Mai District received around a dozen buses from Noi Bai International Airport, carrying hundreds of arrivals.

All passengers were required to wear face masks. They had been tested and classified at the airport before being transferred to the quarantine facility. Those who have tested positive for the novel coronavirus were taken to hospital while the rest would remain at the facility for 14 days.

Two buildings had been converted into quarantine zones with 500 rooms for around 4,000 people. In each building, the kitchen is placed on the 1st floor while the 2nd and 3rd serve as rooms for officers and staff. The remaining 16 floors with 252 rooms will be house quarantined residents.

Authorities had put residents living nearby at ease by claiming all those quarantined at the zone are free of the virus and remained here solely to avoid communal infection.

Many protect themselves by wearing layers of outfits.

Apart from Vietnamese students and foreigners, many arrivals were children.

Medical officers check the body temperature of each passenger before letting them enter the buildings. Over 100 officers and soldiers in Hoang Mai District worked around the clock to conduct logistics and medical operations.

The area and all staff members joining in the transfer process were disinfected.

Luggage was transported via trucks.

Many families waited by the back entrance to send food and other necessities to their loved ones. The names and room numbers of recipients were written on each package. As of Friday, Vietnam has had 87 cases, of whom 70 are undergoing treatment and the remaining 17 have recovered.