HCMC – The Phan Thiet fishing port in Phan Thiet City of Binh Thuan Province was put under lockdown starting today, October 5, as it was linked to many Covid cases whose source of transmission remains unknown.
Businesses and manufacturing facilities operating at the fishing port, the largest of its kind in this south-central province, were asked to suspend operations yesterday. Fishing boats owned by fishermen residing in the locality were required to halt fishing activities as well, reported VnExpress.
Nguyen Van Chien, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agricultural and Rural Development, said around 180 fishing boats of local fishermen are operating at sea. To avoid economic damage, these boats will be allowed to dock at the port to unload seafood, and then anchor at proper locations at the port to ensure Covid safety.
Fishing boats of residents in the wards that do not have to follow the social distancing mandate under the prime minister’s Directive 16, including Thanh Hai, Phu Hai, Ham Tien and Mui Ne, are allowed to operate, but they will have to dock at the Phu Hai fishing port, which is some four kilometers away from Phan Thiet City.
According to the provincial Department of Health, new domestic infections in Phan Thiet have been rising and showed no signs of abating. Since September 25, the coastal city reported 158 locally-infected cases. The city decided to expand the scale of the lockdown order under Directive 16 starting from yesterday.
The provincial health locality today dispatched nearly 400 medical workers to Phan Thiet to aid tracing and testing activities. All residents in areas that are enforcing Directive 16 will be tested every three days.
As of yesterday, the south-central province had reported 3,462 Covid cases in the latest outbreak, with Phan Thiet accounting for over 900 cases.
