While there’s no doubt that having your vacation interrupted by a fast-spreading virus that’s infected more than 198,000 globally and killed more than 7,900 is a major inconvenience, there are surely worse places to be confined than a luxury Beach Resort in Vietnam’s Hoi An.
Authorities in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Nam, home to world-famous Hoi An Ancient Town, have selected a local four-star resort as a quarantine facility for foreign visitors who are at risk of contracting the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The provincial People’s Committee decided on Monday it would make the Hoi An Beach Resort, located on Cua Dai Street in Hoi An City, a quarantine camp for foreigners in the province. Tuoi Tre Newspaper reports.
This is a four-star resort with 121 rooms with views over Cua Dai Beach and a nearby river, along with swimming pools and high-quality service.
Foreign visitors get their luggage as they are prepared to go to their isolation rooms at Hoi An Beach Resort in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre
Foreigners who are required to be quarantined will receive free-of-charge meals and medical care at the facility.
They will also be provided with assistance in visa procedures, flight ticket booking, and airport shuttles after their isolation period.
“They came here to visit our country and only wanted a blissful vacation, but the epidemic has caused them a lot of damage. This is how we should support them,” Quang Nam chairman Le Tri Thanh remarked.
Vice-chairman Tran Van Tan expressed a similar opinion, adding that it is “our responsibility to help them in order to maintain the image of the people in Quang Nam.”
International visitors have played an important role in the province’s development, so it is only appropriate that local authorities take good care of them during this time, Tan elaborated.
Previously, some people had raised questions as to why Vietnamese citizens do not enjoy such special treatment compared to foreigners regarding quarantine facilities in the province.
A health worker leads two foreign visitors to their isolation rooms at Hoi An Beach Resort in Hoi An City, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Photo: B.D. / Tuoi Tre
The novel coronavirus, which first emerged in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has infected over 198,000 people and killed more than 7,900 globally, according to Ministry of Health statistics.
As of 16:00, Wednesday, March 18, Vietnam confirmed 68 COVID-19 cases to date, 16 of whom had fully recovered and been discharged from the hospital by February 26.
Among the 52 active cases being treated, 19 are foreigners, including 13 Britons and one each from Ireland, Germany, the Czech Republic, Latvia, France and the US.
Two cases have been confirmed in Quang Nam so far.
The provincial department of health has quarantined 101 foreigners up to date, of whom 42 had finished their 14-day isolation by Monday.
Reporting by Tuoi Tre News