Quarantine and Isolation

This weekend there was much discussion and speculation about quarantine and isolation in the news and on social media. In this post Lisa gives definitions of Quarantine and Isolation, describes the Ministry of Health guidelines for quarantine in Vietnam, and gives suggestions for how to prepare for quarantine in your home.

Quarantine is the restriction of activities or separation of persons who are not ill, but who may be exposed to an infectious agent or disease, with the objective of monitoring symptoms and early detection of cases.

Isolation is the separation of ill or infected persons from others, so as to prevent the spread of infection or contamination.

(definitions from WHO Interim guidance “Considerations for quarantine of individuals in the context of containment for coronavirus disease (COVID-19)”

Where and when would we be QUARANTINED?

QUARANTINE is most often done in your own home if you are at risk for developing COVID-19 (close contact with a positive case). You would be called F1. The positive person is F0.

The national quarantine facility is for a large group of people that have had known contact with a positive case. Usually this is where visitors arriving from a Level 3 country would be placed. The nearest one is in Can Tho. The conditions are not as nice as your home. You can reduce your chance of going here by not traveling outside Vietnam.

You also should be cautious about traveling within Vietnam because things can change quickly. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health is using home quarantine for many situations. Home quarantine is requested for:

People who are ASYMPTOMATIC (no fever, no cough, no SOB) AND one of the following:

a. Living in the same house/resident location with suspected/confirmed infected case during their period of illness
b. Working together with suspected/confirmed infected cases during their period of illness
c. People in the same tour group, business trip, entertainment activities with suspected/confirmed infected case during their period of illness
d. Close contact within 2 meters with suspected/confirmed infected case during their period of illness in any type of situation
e. Seated in the same row, or +/- 2 rows in front/behind on the same bus/car/wagon/flight with suspected/confirmed infected case during their period of illness
f. Foreigners who enter Vietnam from various countries as per travel restrictions (see new updates on SOS website)

Be prepared for home quarantine.

Think ahead about what you would need to live comfortably in your home for 14 days without going out and without anyone coming in. I suggest having canned food, frozen veg, cleaning supplies, soap, medications, cat litter, yoga mat, etc etc