HCM City (VNA) – Twenty people on the same flight fromLondon to Hanoi (VN0054) with the 17th COVID-19 patient of Vietnam who then travelled to Ho Chi Minh City have testednegative for SARS-CoV-2, reported the HCM City Centre for Disease Control andPrevention on March 8.

They include four Vietnamese residing in Ho Chi Minh City,an Australian of Vietnamese origin, and 15 foreign tourists.

Among them, five foreigners took flight VN223 from Hanoi toHo Chi Minh City, then boarded the Viking Cruise ship to travel to Cambodia onMarch 4.

One of these five passengers shared the same business class cabinwith the 17th COVID-19 patient, and is being quarantined on theship.

The centre has asked passengers who sat in the same cabinwith the quarantined person on flight VN223 to immediately contact localmedical stations and fill in health declarations. Other passengers on theflight should monitor their health at home as guided by the Health Ministry.

Also on March 8, the Health Department in the northernprovince of Hai Duong said two passengers on flight VN0054 who returned to theprovince have tested negative to SARS-CoV-2.

In the northern province of Quang Ninh, nine foreigners whoarrived in Vietnam on flight VN0054, including four testing positive to thevirus, have been sent to the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases fortreatment and quarantine.

All areas at high risk of infection in Ha Long city havebeen zoned for quarantine.

Nine new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Vietnam as late March 8,bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam so far to 30. Among the cases, the first 16 patients were cured and discharged fromhospital in February. The 17th patient was confirmed on late March6, followed by more infections./.