Vietnam begins second morning with no new Covid-19 case

The national tally remained at Sunday evening’s tally of 241, the Health Ministry noted.

After reporting several cases every morning for almost a month, Monday marked the second morning in a row without new cases.

On Sunday evening, a 20-year-old Vietnamese student returning from the U.K. took the country’s total to 241, of whom 91 have been discharged.

Many of the 150 active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from abroad, mostly from Europe and the U.S., and more than 60 people are related to the two major Covid-19 hotspots in the country – the Bach Mai Hospital in Hanoi with at least 43 cases and Buddha Bar & Grill in Ho Chi Minh City 18 cases.

The country began a 15-day nationwide social distancing campaign April 1, not allowing gatherings of more than two people and asking people to stay home and only go out when truly necessary. The step was taken citing a crucial two-week period in the nation’s Covid-19 fight.

The government also suspended all inbound international flights and halted road transport services until April 15 to limit travel in the country of 94 million people.

The global death toll in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic has reached more than 69,300 people.