HCMC – The HCMC Department of Health has issued guidelines over Covid testing, asking the city’s districts and Thu Duc City to stop the periodic testing of the entire population in communes, wards and towns.
The new guidance is aimed at effectively controlling the pandemic and following the regulations in the Government’s Resolution 128 on “safely and flexibly adapting to Covid-19” to gradually restore the economy.
People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or have recovered from the disease in the past six months will undergo a Covid test only if they develop symptoms of the disease or arrive in the city from areas at an extremely high risk of Covid transmission.
In addition, the municipal department told the health authorities of communes, wards and towns to conduct periodic and random tests on people in areas at risk of coronavirus transmission, including wholesale markets, traditional markets, coach stations and supermarkets.
Accordingly, vendors, employees selling tickets, security guards, delivery men and drivers in these areas must undergo an RT-PCR test in groups of 10 each month.
The percentage of people subject to a Covid test will depend on each area’s Covid transmission risk level. Low-risk areas were told to test 10% of these people, while moderate-risk areas must test 20% of them. Some 30% of these people in high-risk and extremely high-risk areas must undergo a Covid test.
Besides, after detecting positive Covid cases, the communes, wards and towns must quickly conduct rapid tests on those in the family of the Covid case and people living in the infection cluster.
