23,000 in downtown Hanoi put under lockdown

By Tat Dinh July 31, 2021 | 01:40 am PT

A Covid-19 checkpoint is erected after the Chuong Duong Ward in Hanoi's Hoan Kiem District is put under lockdown, July 31, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy.

The entire Chuong Duong Ward of Hoan Kiem District has been locked down starting Saturday following the detection of a high-risk coronavirus case.

Hoan Kiem People's Committee said a 30-year-old militia member in charge of a Covid-19 checkpoint in the ward had tested positive for the coronavirus on July 29. Starting 9 a.m. Saturday, new checkpoints have been erected at different entrances of Chuong Duong Ward, the committee stated.

During the lockdown, residents must neither make any contact with others nor exit their quarantine zones, except for emergencies.

Nguyen Quoc Hoan, deputy chairman of Hoan Kiem People's Committee, said authorities could adjust lockdown measures after contact tracing and Covid-19 testing efforts reveal infection risks.

Since the fourth coronavirus wave broke out in late April, Hanoi has recorded 1,287 local Covid-19 cases, including those contained in locked down locations. The capital has been put under a two-week social distancing order since July 24.

Chuong Duong Ward in particular, with over 23,000 residents, has recorded 17 cases.