A couple traveled from an epidemic area to Nghe An, hid the story and stayed at a motel along the way, then contracted Covid-19.

On August 7, medical staff in Do Luong district were urgently spraying disinfectants and searching for people who had visited a number of locations related to Covid-19 patients. This move came after two Covid-19 patients suddenly confessed to having visited a motel and a restaurant in Do Luong town.

These are all places that patients Đ.Đ.T. (29 years old) and PTTH (33 years old), both residing in Hamlet 2, Cat Van Commune, Thanh Chuong, had visited. These two patients were announced to have Covid-19 on the morning of August 7.

According to epidemiological investigation, on August 1, Mr. T. rode a motorbike from Long An to his hometown. When he arrived in Binh Duong, he traveled with two other compatriots who were working there, Ms. H. and Mr. Nguyen Duc Nh. (33 years old).

A worker returning from the epidemic center, declared and had his temperature measured at Ben Thuy 2 bridge. Photo: Tien Hung

The three men said that on the way back, they stopped at many places to rest and eat, but they could not remember the specifics. On the morning of August 3, when they returned to their hometown in Nghe An, the three drove to Do Luong town and rented a motel in Tien Thanh to shower and rest. After that, Mr. T. and Mr. Nh. went to eat at Hoa Mai Bun Cha restaurant.

It was not until 4:00 p.m. the same day that the three people went to the Cat Van Commune Health Station to declare their health and were taken to a centralized quarantine at an elementary school. However, the three people did not declare that they had visited a motel or eaten in Do Luong town.

"Even when the test results were positive, they still gave false statements. Some said they stopped at a motel, others denied it. The police had to fight for a long time before they admitted it," said a leader of Thanh Chuong District Medical Center.