Coronavirus latest: Vietnam’s Da Nang city in lockdown amid fresh outbreak

All flights and train services to and from Da Nang have been suspended, Vietnam’s government says

In Australia, PM Scott Morrison has cut short an interstate tour to focus on the Covid-19 crisis, as more cases emerge from aged care homes

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People exit the Da Nang International Airport on July 27, 2020. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 11:08am, 28 Jul 2020Updated: 9:57am, 29 Jul 2020

Vietnam has suspended all flights and public transport to and from Da Nang for 15 days from Tuesday after at least 15 cases of the novel coronavirus were detected in the city, the government said.

Over the weekend, thousands of local tourists had to end their summer holidays in the popular beach destination following the sudden flare-up of local transmissions.

Da Nang is the third-largest city in Vietnam, with a population of about 1.1 million.

The lockdown has dealt a blow to the city’s tourism industry, which was just being revived after earlier coronavirus cases mostly subsided at the end of April.

Hotel guests prematurely ended their stays and cancelled upcoming trips upon the news of the first case, one hotelier said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media.

“Our hotel is now empty,” the hotelier said. “But we had to help our guests to leave the city when they still had the opportunity yesterday.”

People seen at a beach in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, on July 26, 2020. Photo: AP

Authorities estimated several thousand people would be stranded by the transport shutdown and asked hotels to shelter them.