The move aims to promptly detect cases in areas and groups of people highly susceptible to COVID-19 infection and spreading in order to evaluate the pandemic situation across the city and take timely response measures.

Around 300,000 people are expected to be sampled in 30 districts and towns depending on the pandemic situation, including 186,000 samples in high-risk areas and 114,000 high-risk people.

During the sampling process, prevention and control measures will be strictly observed, such as ensuring distance and avoiding mass gatherings, the CDC said.

The people to be sampled for COVID-19 testing are those living in high-risk areas with many COVID-19 patients and outbreaks, a large residential density, or high traffic flows.

The groups of people at high risk of contracting and spreading the disease include taxi drivers, workers at industrial parks, delivery people, salesmen at markets and supermarkets, shippers of necessities, and those doing public sanitation services.

The Hanoi CDC has asked district- and commune-level People’s Committees to organise the building of plans and direct the sampling work, targeting the right subjects, ensuring safety and preventing the spread of the pandemic.

The Hanoi Department of Health has directed the separation of sampling and testing for private and public hospitals as well as the units capable of testing across the city.

According to Deputy Director of the Department Vu Cao Cuong, the sampling work will be carried out by all available medical forces in the areas, with support from nearly 1,000 students of the Hanoi Medical College. The forces are requested to take advantage of this “golden time” of social distancing to contain the pandemic and soon bring the city back to a new normal.