At home away from home in a quarantine zone

The Quang Ha clinic in the northern province is split into three zones, with each zone being cleaned and sanitized by three different groups, three times a day. Whichever group is assigned to a zone would remain within it in order to limit movement and prevent possible contamination and infection.

At the clinic, nurse Bui Thi Kim Hue begins her day at 5 a.m. At around 6 a.m., she cleans the walls, the beds, the floors and areas outside the clinic. Her coworkers, meanwhile, get busy sanitizing the rooms and neighboring areas with disinfectant.

Hue cleans the quarantine zone early every morning since February 4, when the clinic became a quarantine zone for those infected or suspected of being infected with the Covid-19 virus in Vinh Phuc Province. Like others, she has not returned home since.

At 7 a.m., all the doctors in the clinic gather for breakfast and a meeting. The meeting room is also a common room for the doctors.

Many doctors in the clinic were assigned from other places to support local staff.

Doctors and nurses prepare appropriate medicines for the quarantined every day. Wearing protective clothing almost all the time, they check the general health of the quarantined closely for the slightest change.

Nguyen Van Vinh, 50, who tested positive for Covid-19 after contracting the virus from his daughter, has his vitals checked by doctor Luu Thi Xuan. He is provided intravenous fluids and other medicines to improve his health.

Since Vinh has a highly infectious disease, doctors and other staff must also limit their time with him as much as possible to avoid possible infection risks, said Xuan.

As of Tuesday, Vinh had tested negative for Covid-19 twice. He is the last patient who remains quarantined in Vietnam and is expected to be discharged this week.

Doctor Xuan in her protective suit.

During the first few days that the quarantine zone became functional, many medical workers had to be on duty 24/24 as some patients had severe symptoms.

Doctors in their protective suits take pictures of test results and send them to their higher-ups.

"I actually fancy this suit now, as it protects both me and other medical workers. Plus it looks cute," Hue said, making light of the situation.

Just a few meters from where Vinh is, another quarantine zone is reserved for those who are suspected to be infected with the Covid-19 virus. Around 50 people are quarantined here. They also have their health stats checked every day and have their biological samples taken to test every few days .

A group of doctors chat and drink fresh milk in their common bedroom, which has an area of around 25 square meters, four beds, a desk and a cabinet.

At noon, around five medical workers deliver food to quarantined persons in their own rooms. The food is ordered from outside as the clinic has no kitchen. Only after the patients have eaten do the doctors have their own meals.

For doctor Xuan, the saddest thing is to hear her phone ring every afternoon, when her family calls.

"I miss my family so much!" she said. She can only see her children through video chat. They ask their father every day when she would be back, she said.

Nurse Hue, who has two children, had to send them to her parents. Despite her family worrying for her, Hue was resolved to see everything through until the end.

"During my time in the clinic, I've had so many memories. That way, I've learnt so much more about my job and our bonds with each another," she said.