At 5:04 am on February 10th, the flight that brought 30 Vietnamese citizens back to Vietnam from Wuhan (China) landed at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh province. The process of picking up passengers from the epicenter of the Corona virus epidemic area was strictly implemented, ensuring maximum safety for all parties involved.

The Vietnam Airlines plane, flight number HVN68, departed on the evening of February 9, 2020 from Hanoi, carrying aid and supplies to Wuhan. Shortly after touching down, the flight returned with the 30 Vietnamese citizens living and working in Wuhan back to their homeland of Vietnam.

The process of receiving Vietnamese people from Wuhan was meticulously planned. Accordingly, the aircraft parked at berth 6 in Van Don International Airport and used a ladder for passengers to exit. As soon as passengers disembarked the plane, the International Health Quarantine Center conducted screening tests to detect suspected cases through a remote body temperature meter. All baggage was throughly disinfected before airline procedures began.

All the normal procedures – entry procedures, customs checks, and so on – were conducted outdoors, instead of being conducted inside the terminal as usual. The purpose of this is to avoid cross-contamination and the possibility of the virus infection spreading through ventilation or air conditioning in the terminal, to ensure absolute safety for the airport environment. After that, 30 passengers were loaded onto waiting vehicles belonging to the Military Command of Quang Ninh Province, and transported to the Facility 2 of the National Hospital of Tropical Disease in Hanoi where were isolated in quarantine and where they would have their health monitored for a period of 14 days. The crew was isolated in a separate area.

According to Mr. Pham Ngoc Sau, Director of Van Don International Airport, the process of receiving the flight carrying Vietnamese people returning from Wuhan was rigorously prepared to ensure absolute safety, not only for the passengers themselves, but also for all staff who were in direct contact or close proximity of the passengers.

All people in direct contact with passengers were equipped with medical protective gear, covered with protective clothing (goggles, N95 masks, boots…). They were carefully trained on how to wear and remove protective gear to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. At the same time, many plans to handle different situations during the process of picking up passengers from the aircraft and then bringing them to the quarantine location were meticulously planned and prepared to avoid any mistakes. The aircraft was sprayed with disinfectant and thoroughly cleaned. Not only that but the entire airport area and all passenger cars were cleaned and checked following strict procedures.

This is the second flight to evacuate Vietnamese from the epidemic area in China and return them to Vietnam via Van Don International Airport. Earlier, on February 1, 2020, the airport received a flight from Beijing at 18:24 with six Vietnamese guests and eight crew members.

To ensure the prevention of the pneumonia caused by nCoV virus spreading, from the beginning of February, the authorities of Quang Ninh province together with Van Don International Airport urgently prepared a plan and agreed on all the processes that would be involved in receiving Vietnamese from the epidemic area. Van Don International Airport has been equipped with an international standard body temperature meter to detect suspected cases early. The airport also provided free quadruple-layered and sterilized medical masks for passengers and has conducted body temperature tests for all international and domestic flights. After each international flight, the disinfection of the entire terminal area is conducted to avoid potential cross-contamination to passengers and staff.

Following the direction of the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Van Don International Airport is the only airport in the north of Vietnam to receive Vietnamese people from region in China affected by the epidemic. "I believe that the Prime Minister and Aviation Department of Vietnam did not randomly select Van Don International Airport as a location to receive Vietnamese people from the epidemic area. It may be because Van Don is the airport located adjacent to the Chinese border. Besides, this is a new airport with modern equipment, so the preparation of staff and equipment meets the highest and best possible safety standards. We are always prepared to accept the responsibility assigned to us and the trust from the State and the Aviation Administration of Vietnam," said Mr. Pham Ngoc Sau - Director Van Don International Aviation said.

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