Inside the flight bringing Vietnamese citizens back from Wuhan.
All seats were covered in nylon, and the flight crew wore two layers of protective gear. The 30 Vietnamese citizens underwent health checks before and during the flight.
Vietnam Airlines flight HVN68 departed from Noi Bai Airport (Hanoi) at 9 PM on February 9th, carrying aid and medical equipment worth US$500,000 donated by the Government and people of Vietnam to the Government and people of China. The plane then picked up 30 Vietnamese citizens from Wuhan City, Hubei Province, and brought them back to Vietnam.
The 15 crew members were selected from nearly 100 volunteer pilots and flight attendants who applied. They all had experience and the ability to communicate in Chinese.
In addition to the flight crew, the airline also assigned three medical staff members, including an obstetrician, to care for a passenger who was 36 weeks pregnant. Vietnam Airlines equipped the flight crew and doctors with specialized medical protective gear. Each person wore double-layered protective clothing, a face mask, and gloves to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus.
Pilots wear protective gear like flight attendants, even though they rarely leave the cockpit.
In addition to the cargo placed in the luggage compartment, many boxes containing medical equipment were moved into the passenger cabin to prevent damage.
All seats are covered with nylon to limit the spread of the virus. Spare parts and supplies are also brought on board the aircraft to deal with any technical issues that may arise.
The plane landed at Wuhan airport at 1:00 AM on February 10th (local time). At that time, 30 Vietnamese citizens had already departed from Wuhan airport, wearing protective clothing before boarding the plane to return home.
All passengers and crew underwent health checks before boarding the plane. The 30 Vietnamese citizens included students, tourists, and businesspeople living and working in Wuhan.
Accompanying them on the flight were a doctor from the Central Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital, and a doctor and a nurse from the Central Tropical Diseases Hospital.
Their duties include caring for pregnant women and regularly checking the health of passengers returning from Wuhan, the epicenter of the nCoV outbreak.
The aircraft landed at Van Don Airport (Quang Ninh) at 5:00 AM on February 10th, after which it was completely disinfected and taken out of service for 24 hours to prevent the risk of nCoV infection. The entire flight crew and doctors on board were quarantined for 14 days as per regulations.
Passengers go through immigration and customs procedures for both carry-on and checked baggage, and then undergo a 14-day quarantine for health monitoring.
As of February 10th, the coronavirus pneumonia outbreak had claimed 910 lives and infected over 40,000 people, mainly in China. Vietnam recorded 14 cases of infection, with 6 cases having recovered and been discharged from the hospital.
