It is Friday September 4th here in Da Nang. This is Dragon Diaries #6 – Light in the Tunnel. We have been on lockdown since July 26th, or was it the 27th? I can’t be sure. I know that it has been almost 6 weeks of Netflix, Prime, YouTube, Zoom meetings, and anything else we could find to pass the time. A lot of cooking, and way too much eating. It is the height of the dry season, which means it is uncomfortably hot. It has kept us off the patio for most of the day, and the muggy nights haven’t been much better. So we’ve spent a large amount of this lockdown indoors, lounging in the air conditioning, staving off the tropical heat.
We’ve dealt with scheduled market visits, mandatory testing, and in the beginning, food shortages. All in all though, it could have been far worse. The food supply was stabilized very quickly. Apart from the annoyance of having to schedule trips to the market, it’s been a very manageable scenario. Seeing the ocean from our apartment helps. Always a reminder that we do at least live in paradise. Oh how I long for the beach.
An Impressive Response
I have to say I am incredibly impressed with the ability and efficiency that the lockdown and containment has been handled. When I received my test a couple of weeks ago, Da Nang was in the process of fulfilling its key strategic plans for the city. Though testing everyone is still the goal, the health ministry realized that it wasn’t a viable option for the determination of lockdown easement. So they took a different approach. Rather than base easement of restrictions on everyone in the city being tested, they have implemented a plan to make sure at least one person from each household has been tested.
That required a clear picture of the makeup of the city population, which is why we had our paperwork and passports checked so many times. They were gathering information to help design the plan moving forward. The first to be tested were high school seniors. They were tested so they could take their graduation exams. Their households were covered. Next it was foreigners. When I took my test, my household was covered. After that round it was determined that about 1/3 of the city’s households had at least one member tested. A list was compiled to determine the remaining households. The goal was to have one member of every household tested by today September 4th.
A Goal is Met
They began that list with families deemed high risk, families of health care workers and those living near known infection areas. It really was a simple, scientific approach to weeding out infections, and getting a clear picture of the city and its inhabitants. In addition I want to add that the testing has been free of charge, and anyone testing positive and quarantined is provided with three free meals a day delivered to the quarantine facility. I tested negative by the way. If the testing could be completed by today, then a discussion of lifting the lockdown would begin.
The goal has been accomplished. As of midnight tonight, ICT Indochina time, taxi services, rideshare, public transportation, many businesses including restaurants for take out only, will be allowed to resume operations. Though intercity and inter provincial travel will still be banned. Meaning the city as a whole is still closed.
Some Restrictions Remain
The beach will remain closed, but there is talk it could be opened within the week. Mask will remain mandatory in public, and gatherings will continue to be kept to a minimum. There is also discussion that households will be requested to sign commitments to adopt appropriate hygiene and infection prevention in a bid to educate the public, help the control of, and to ensure more active engagement in combating the virus. It’s a lot, I will admit, it has been a lot. But there are only 35 deaths nationwide, and barely more than 1000 cases since the first infection was discovered in Vietnam back in January.
The response here has been labeled overkill by many. Akin to cracking a pecan with a stamp press. But it has worked. The entire nation has made sacrifices for the good of the overall community. Something I don’t know that I’ve ever seen in the US in my lifetime. Banding together for the betterment of society as a whole. Yes everyone came together after 9/11 for a few months, maybe even a year or two. But never to overcome a public health crisis or a public crisis in general. Everything always gets boiled down to politics. My side, your side. If you’re not on my side you’re my enemy. It has been the patriotic duty of every person here in Vietnam to work together to contain and eradicate the virus. It may have been overkill, but you can’t argue with the numbers.
That’s Amore
The airport is reportedly going to reopen on the 7th, but only for those that were stranded domestically first. Regular domestic travel should begin within the next couple of weeks. It was announced this week that as early as September 15th international flights will resume to South Korea and Japan on a limited schedule. The government here has also lifted the 14 day mandatory requirement to quarantine for entry into Vietnam. Which is currently only allowed to diplomats, experts, and other essential entry personnel.
This is all a sign of hope that things may be turning in the right direction overall. It still will probably be awhile before general international travel resumes, but at least there is some light in the tunnel. In the meantime I’m going to cross my fingers for the beach to reopen soon, and Diem and I will begin taking late afternoon walks. Also, I think I’m going to order a pizza.
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Click here or here for articles about the city’s plan for testing and reopening.
