Saigon Reports District 3 Food Lane Cluster, Affected Diners Undergo COVID-19 Tests

Saigon District 3 cluster located at a popular food lane

On 18th May, Saigon recorded a COVID-19 case in Thu Duc after 3 months of zero community infections. His colleague, a District 7 resident, was also infected with the virus.

Within 48 hours, another cluster was found in District 3, where a restaurateur and her children tested positive for COVID-19. Since the new cluster is a popular food lane in the city, diners who checked-in near the area will be undergoing COVID-19 tests.

Here’s a summary of the rest of the updates, as we continue to monitor the situation.

District 3’s food lane is a new COVID-19 cluster

Image adapted from: Lao Dong

On 20th May, Lane 287 on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street in District 3 was surrounded by barriers, ambulance vans, and many medical officers. Before the COVID-19 outbreak, this lane was always crowded with diners and shipping personnel.

On 19th May, news of O Thanh Noodle Soup’s restauranteur and her children’s COVID-19 infections startled many people.

To break the cycle of infections, police have quarantined the whole lane. A large number of residents living in the area have been taken to dedicated COVID-19 facilities, Thanh Nien reports.

Image adapted from: Thanh Nien

Visitors to the lane have been asked about their travel history and directed to undergo testing if they’ve checked into the area recently.

The timeframe for monitoring spans from 12th May till 20th May, and most citizens have reported themselves to medical authorities. Medic Medical Center in District 10, where the infected restauranteur dropped by for a medical appointment, has also been disinfected and quarantined.

This morning, Tuoi Tre reported that the source of the infection in District 3’s food lane is from the restauranteur’s son, who contracted COVID-19 during his trip to Danang.

On the evening of 20th May, a lane in Go Vap District was also quarantined after a person tested positive for COVID-19. Local authorities are going into overdrive to trace the source of the infection.

The latest spike in infections has brought Vietnam’s cumulative total of COVID-19 cases to 4,833, according to the Ministry of Health.

Vietnam records 3 COVID-19 death in 2021

Image adapted from: Dan Tri

On 20th May 2021, Vietnam recorded its 38th COVID-19 fatality. The patient had been battling liver cancer before being infected with COVID-19, according to Nhan Dan.

For context, since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded 3 COVID-19-related deaths.

Saigon’s crowded food lane becomes new cluster

As we can see, Saigon is facing a new COVID-19 flare-up with many direct contacts in burgeoning clusters. The new cluster in Saigon was a popular food destination, where many patrons had visited. This emergence of community infections also shows that we are not out of the woods yet.

To keep ourselves safe, refrain from dining out for the moment, wear masks at all times, and do remember to comply with testing guidelines.

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Cover image adapted from: Thanh Nien

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