Commune locks in residents over Covid fears

Nguyen The Anh, chairman of the Thieu Hoa District People’s Committee, on Saturday said the houses with their gates locked were those inhabited by people returning to Thanh Hoa from outside localities. The families were encouraged to be locked down and agreed to ensure social distancing.

However, district authorities soon ordered Thieu Phu Commune to open all the locks, said Anh.

Thieu Phu Commune decided to lock down houses with inhabitants that returned from areas with either high or very high coronavirus risks, he added.

“No one was forced to have their gates locked, but such a measure should not have been imposed,” said Anh, adding what Thieu Phu authorities did was “a bit too much.”

Hoang Ngoc Linh, chairman of Thieu Phu Commune People’s Committee, explained the measure was meant to “prevent infections from spreading among the community.”

Linh added there had been people who returned from outbreak-hit areas, who were supposed to be quarantined, but went out anyway. There have also been people who finished their quarantine periods, yet still test positive for the coronavirus after, he stressed.

Thieu Phu Commune has around 8,000 residents, including over 2,000 who travel outside the commune to work. In recent days, dozens return to the commune every day ahead of Tet, Vietnam’s most important festival. The commune has recorded 20 Covid-19 cases so far.

While their gates are no longer locked, people returning to Thieu Phu from areas with high or very high coronavirus risks are still requested to lock themselves down. Those who return from areas with low and medium coronavirus risks only need to monitor their own health.