145 hotels in Vietnam sign up as quarantine camps

At least 145 two-to-five-star hotels across Vietnam have registered to serve as quarantine places for suspected COVID-19 patients starting from Sunday, according to the General Department of Tourism.

Hanoi Times/ VnExpress

March 24, 2020 | 09:04

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A receptionist is guiding the guests to fill out the medical declaration form (Photo: Hanoi Times)

Data from the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism shows that these hotels are mainly in major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and localities such as Quang Ninh, home to the UNESCO heritage site Ha Long Bay and the southern industrial hub of Dong Nai. These accommodation facilities pledged to quote prices of their services.

This list of the paid quarantine centers will be reported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control to select and turn them into isolation facilities.

On March 20, the Ministry of Health issued instructions under which if a person wishes undergo the mandatory quarantine at a hotel, he/she needs pay room charges and other services. The quarantine period is 14 days from entry or final contact with people suspected of contracting the coronavirus.

Hotels used for isolation will not serve other purposes and ensure essential living conditions such as electricity, water, sanitation, bathroom, ventilation, as well as being safe and convenient for accessing.

They are required to set up checkpoints, security teams and hang the warning sign “Authorized personnel only”. Unauthorized people are prohibited from entering the hotel.

The hotels have to establish disinfection point for means of transport at the hotel entrance. All vehicles entering and leaving the hotel should be disinfected.

The area for isolated people needs to be separated from other functional areas such as reception, living, kitchen, dining room and bars entrance of unauthorized people.

At the same time, the hotel are asked to erect fences to control people entering and leaving the quarantine area.

Hotel staff will be trained to serve isolated people who have wear facial masks and are asked to refrain from talking.

The localities are responsible for assisting and monitoring the quarantine at the hotel. Those who do not comply with the quarantine regulations will be handled.

A room inside Can Gio Resort has been used as quarantine camp (Photo: Zing.vn)

As of Sunday, 122 people had been sent to paid isolation zones in the outlying district of Can Gio in HCMC.

According to the municipal Department of Tourism, out of 197 cases quarantined in the district, 75 were isolated at the Can Gio Hospital without fees. Forty-three were quarantined at the Phuong Nam Hotel, 30 at the Can Gio Resort and 49 at the Mangrove Resort, all paid isolation areas.

Some hotel and resort owners in Can Gio District said room rates at hotels that receive isolation guests range from VND350,000 ($15) to VND500,000 ($21) per day, not excluding other service fees. For 14 days, the quarantined people will pay around VND10.8 million ($460).

Earlier, officials had said they expected to receive 10,000 Vietnamese coming home from abroad this week, with the corresponding figure for HCMC being 17,000.

Tourism officials in the central city of Da Nang said more than 700 hotel rooms are ready to serve as isolation camps for those returning from abroad who will be placed under 14-day quarantine in accordance with the Health Ministry’s regulations.

Many hotels, resorts and other lodging establishments have agreed to act as quarantine areas for suspected Covid-19 patients, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism had said earlier.

The country has recorded 105 new cases since March 6, with 104 still under treatment and one recovered last week. Of the active cases, 12 have tested negative either once or twice.

Many of the active cases are Vietnamese nationals returning from Europe and the U.S. and foreigners visiting from the same regions.

Starting Sunday, in an unprecedented move, Vietnam suspended entry for all foreign nationals, including those of Vietnamese origin and family members with visa waivers.

The Covid-19 pandemic has killed over 14,700 people globally, spreading to 192 countries and territories thus far.

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