The mass testing comes as Vietnam races to stem a fresh outbreak of the novel coronavirus centered in Da Nang.

Tuoi Tre reports that health workers in Hanoi will test roughly 21,000 residents who recently returned from the city on the central coast, which has become the epicenter of the new virus spread.

The large-scale testing, using rapid test kits, began yesterday and is expected to end tomorrow. The capital confirmed its first new COVID-19 case on Thursday. Prior to that, the city government had ordered bars, nightclubs and large public events closed.

The city now has two confirmed cases, both of whom recently returned from visits to Da Nang.

Khổng Minh Tuấn, director of the Hanoi Center for Disease Control, told the news source that as of Wednesday evening, only those returning from central Việt Nam that were exhibiting virus symptoms had been tested.

As a result, officials expect more cases to be confirmed in the coming days. One unnamed official said: "What needs to be done without delay is advising returnees from Da Nang to stay inside their homes and wait to be tested."

This morning, the Ministry of Health confirmed 45 new COVID-19 infections, all in Da Nang, bringing the size of the new outbreak to 93, 79 of which are in that city.

Prior to last weekend, Vietnam had gone 99 days without detecting any community transmission of the virus.

[Photo via NYK Daily]