Saigon apartment blocks enter lockdown after resident tests positive for novel coronavirus

Hundreds of police officers and militia were dispatched Monday noon to barricade four blocks with 72 apartments on Su Van Hanh Street. All residents have been advised against going out.

The 23-year-old man had stayed with "Patient 1440," who had illegally entered Vietnam from Cambodia on Dec. 24, in Myanmar for three months from September. Both had illegally entered Vietnam through the border, a source told VnExpress on Monday.

The men had traveled from Myanmar to Thailand on Dec. 15, before going from Bangkok to Cambodia on Dec. 23, then Vietnam.

On Sunday, the 23-year-old was quarantined in District 5, before testing positive for the novel coronavirus the same day. He is being treated at the Cu Chi field hospital, showing symptoms that include coughing and congestion.

"The Ministry of Health is considering confirming the man as a Covid-19 case," the source said, adding contact tracing is underway.

"Patient 1440," 32-year-old Le Thuc Tri, was driven to a border gate in southern Vietnam on Dec. 24, then to HCMC, then got on a different bus to Vinh Long. Throughout his journey, he had made contact with several other people.

After disembarking at Vinh Long, Tri traveled to his mother's house. His mother however reported him to authorities so he could be quarantined on Dec. 24. He was confirmed as a Covid-19 case on Saturday. He’s being treated at Vinh Long Tuberculosis and Lung Diseases Hospital in the Mekong Delta’s Vinh Long Province.

Vietnam has recorded 1,441 Covid-19 cases so far, with 100 still active and 35 dead. No community transmission has been recorded nationally in nearly a month.