The move came after the city announced a community-transmission case of COVID-19 earlier the same day.

The 26-year-old patient, working as a receptionist at Hai Phong city’s Hospital of Transport, was detected through mass screening and confirmed by the Hai Phong Medical University Hospital and the city’s Preventive Medicine Centre.

Areas relating to the patient’s travel records will be isolated while Loi Dong hamlet, Hoang Dong commune, Thuy Nguyen district where the patient lives and Hai Phong city’s Hospital of Transport where she works have been locked down.

The hospital has stopped receiving patients and is making a list of medical workers, patients and their relatives for quarantine.

The city’s authorities also asked for temporary suspension of some non-essential activities in the city.

Vice chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Le Khac Nam said the city needed to raise COVID-19 prevention and control to a higher level and proposed the city to temporarily cancel the operation of golf courses, dental clinics and massage centres.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tung said COVID-19 prevention and control stations of the city and districts still could not supervise all people who come to or leave the city. Therefore, he proposed to apply the strongest measures in COVID-19 prevention and control following Government Directives No 15 and 16 and strictly punish violators.

The People’s Committee February 22 would issue decisions to put some areas under lockdown following COVID-19 prevention and control regulations, according to Tung.

Le Van Thanh, Secretary of the municipal Party Committee and Chairman of the municipal People’s Council, said it was essential to focus on reviewing and isolating areas relating to the patient’s travel, promptly tracking down and identifying people who were in close contact with the patient.