HCMC – The Noi Bai International Airport has sought an approval from authorities for a plan to get some 3,200 staff members working at the airport to undergo Covid-19 tests, aimed at ensuring the right number of employees to serve its operations 24/7 amid the resurgence of Covid-19 in Vietnam.
Up to now, 16 of the airport’s staff were linked to two confirmed coronavirus patients, with one departing from the airport to Japan and testing positive for the UK coronavirus variant upon her arrival and the other being a security staff at the Van Don airport in Quang Ninh Province. Hundreds of the involved staff are being monitored.
Given the intense community transmission of the disease in the country, the staff are at a high risk of contracting the virus. Just one infected case discovered at the airport could lead to a temporary suspension in operations, the airport said in a proposal sent to the ministries of Health and Transport and the Hanoi steering committee for disease control and prevention.
Accordingly, it is essential and urgent to get all of the airport staff tested for Covid-19. Also, the move will ensure the safety of passengers and help reassure them when they travel by air amid the latest resurgence of the disease, said To Tu Ha, acting director of the airport.
Earlier, many employees at the Van Don airport were found to be infected with the coronavirus, prompting the authorities to temporarily shut down the airport to prevent the spread of the deadly disease.
