On the morning of May 5, the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported a new SARS-CoV-2 positive case in the area. The female patient, Đ.T.M.H., 32 years old, resides at K8765 Me Nhu, Thanh Khe District, Da Nang, and was a passenger on flight VN160 from Da Nang to Hanoi on April 29.
She traveled to several districts in the city, including Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Thanh Xuan, Hai Ba Trung, visiting many famous eateries in the old town and going to bar 1900 Ta Hien. On the afternoon of April 30, she arrived in Sapa Town (Lao Cai Province) and visited various places in Sapa.
At 5 PM upon arriving in Sapa, she checked into Pao Hotel to rest. At 7:30 PM, she had dinner at Do Quyen restaurant, then went for a foot massage near the square (name unclear) until 11 PM before returning to the hotel.
On the morning of May 1, she had breakfast at the hotel, then strolled around the town. In the afternoon, she visited Cat Cat village, then returned to the hotel. In the evening, she dined at Anh Dung restaurant and explored the town.
On the morning of May 2, she had breakfast at the hotel, and by 9:30 AM, she went to the top of Fansipan. In the afternoon, she had lunch at Lien Ton restaurant, opposite Anh Dung restaurant, and then took a bus back to Hanoi.
In a conversation with us on the morning of May 5, Mr. Vuong Trinh Quoc, Chairman of Sapa Town, stated that upon receiving information from CDC Hanoi, the pandemic prevention steering committee held an emergency meeting to implement response measures.
“We have also contacted the friend who traveled with the patient to see if there are any additional locations besides the announced itinerary, urgently tracing contacts as this individual moved quite extensively,” Mr. Quoc said.
All locations the patient visited, such as cafes, hotels, and clothing shops, have been closed and disinfected. The Sapa administration has rapidly traced contacts and classified them as F1 and F2. F1 contacts have been tested and taken to concentrated quarantine; F2 contacts are required to self-isolate at home. The town has also activated an additional concentrated quarantine site, and if capacity is insufficient, F1 contacts will be sent to the provincial quarantine center.
Authorities have locked down Pao Hotel where the patient stayed, while all staff members are being quarantined on-site.
Regarding the cable car to Fansipan, Mr. Quoc mentioned that he spoke with the management team to identify the patient’s movements. The patient took the cable car on May 2, when the number of visitors to Sapa had significantly decreased.
“Fortunately, she took the train, entered the station, got on the cabin, took the cable car, and then returned. The management team for pandemic prevention was relatively strict, requiring passengers to wear masks; those who did not would be refused service, thus limiting the risk of transmission,” Mr. Quoc stated.
According to Mr. Quoc, the town has activated the entire rapid response team, escalating the pandemic prevention measures by one level. At the same time, they are prepared for a worse scenario if there are positive cases in the area, proactively implementing measures to prevent widespread transmission.
The government has urged local authorities to widely inform the public, advising them to limit travel during this time, especially in the central area. Additionally, they must keep track of the number of employees working in the restaurants and hotels visited by the patient to trace and manage contacts effectively.
“We will also review the number of street vendors and taxi drivers, prioritizing these groups as high-risk individuals for testing,” Mr. Quoc emphasized.