Foreign
MORE than 80 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Chi Hoa Prison in Ho Chi Minh City, with staff and inmates testing positive and fears of a wider outbreak growing.
The state media said on Wednesday.
Authorities began spraying disinfectant and carrying out mass testing in the facility after three prison officers tested positive for the virus on Monday.
As of Wednesday, 44 members of staff and 36 prisoners had tested positive, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 81.
On Tuesday night, a riot reportedly broke out within the prison, with shots and screams being heard, according to state media.
The police did not give further information.
Meanwhile, Police arrested some inciters while transferring several others to another prison in an effort to restore order and ensure distance between inmates to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The new cases emerge as Ho Chi Minh City battles the country’s most significant outbreak since the beginning of the pandemic.
On Monday, Vietnam recorded 1,089 infections, a record daily tally and the first time there has been more than a thousand cases since the pandemic began.
Ho Chi Minh City, which is under strict virus prevention and social distancing protocols, has emerged as the country’s virus epicentre.
The vast majority of new cases were being recorded in the southern metropolis, Health Ministry data showed.
Vietnam has been praised internationally for its response to the pandemic, but after a month without any community transmission, local cases emerged again on April 27, and more than 10,000 had been reported since.
The country has vaccinated no fewer than four million people of a population of 98 million. (dpa/NAN).
– July 7, 2021 @ 11:34 GMT |
Tags: COVID-19 rips through Vietnam prison raising fears of mass outbreak
