Ho Chi Minh City runs random COVID-19 tests on interprovincial bus passengers

Ho Chi Minh City authorities have begun conducting random COVID-19 testing of travelers at Mien Dong (Eastern) Bus Station, among others, in a bid to curb a new epidemic outbreak. 

Medical workers from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control and the health bureau of Binh Thanh District showed up early on Thursday morning to guide passengers at the bus station through medical declaration, form filling, and sample collecting.

“The testing came as a surprise to me, but it was done quickly,” Tu Trinh, a passenger from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai said.

“I will submit medical declaration to authorities in my ward later.”

Le Thi Hue, 54, from Gia Lai, said she did not expect to undergo the sampling process either.

“Local health authorities have planned to mobilize personnel for the post-Lunar New Year testing of returnees to Ho Chi Minh City, which will be divided into multiple shifts when testing demand soars,” said Doan Van Cong, a health official of Binh Thanh District.

Located in Binh Thanh District, the Eastern Bus Station houses coaches that connect Ho Chi Minh City with northern, central and southeast regions of Vietnam.

A newer edifice of the terminal was built in Thu Duc City and inaugurated in October 2020. 

Ho Chi Minh City has reported 36 community cases of COVID-19 infection since the latest wave hit Vietnam on January 27.

The country’s tally stood at 2,347 COVID-19 cases as of Friday morning, with 1,605 recoveries and 35 deaths, according to the Ministry of Health.

A total of 755 local infections have been detected in 13 provinces and cities since January 27.

The majority of domestically-transmitted cases were traced back to Hai Duong and Quang Ninh Provinces, with 575 and 60 patients, respectively.

The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control on Thursday required that all people who have arrived in the city from Hai Duong since February 3 be sent to centralized quarantine facilities and tested for the novel coronavirus in order to prevent transmission.