Vietnam lockdown changes plans

The coronavirus has yet to infect an Idahoan, though officials from the Center for Disease Control now claim a nationwide outbreak is no longer a matter of if, but rather of when.

But the virus — which has claimed over 2,700 lives amid 81,191 diagnoses — is stoking enough fear to keep some in Coeur d’Alene from continuing with a Chamber of Commerce-coordinated trip to China’s southern neighbor, Vietnam.

“It’s just an unfortunate coincidence,” Chamber President Derrell Hartwick told The Press. “We’ve been offering trips like this for 10 years now. We’ve never had one incident like this before.”

Travelers taking part in the Vietnam trip were scheduled to leave March 1. Since the outbreak, the Press has learned that about half of the 27 reservations have since been canceled, all due to fears of contracting the coronavirus on the Asian mainland.

Vietnam shares its 796-mile northern border with China. As of press time Wednesday, 16 Vietnamese citizens were diagnosed with the virus, according to the country’s acting Minister of Health, Vu Duc Dam. The CDC, meanwhile reports 14 confirmed cases of the sometimes-fatal disease in the United States.

Coeur d’Alene travelers who signed up for the trip paid $2,500 for the 10-day excursion, which takes travelers from Hanoi to Halong Bay to Ho Chi Minh City, among other destinations. The company that offered the trip, Citslinc International, is offering up to a $1,600 refund to those who cancel because of the worldwide outbreak that has now reached six of seven continents.

A representative from Vietnam’s Ministry of Tourism announced Feb. 22 the outbreak could cost the country between $3 billion and $4 billion. Restaurants and bars in Vietnam — as well as South Korea, Japan and Hong Kong, according to reports — have banned Chinese patrons or required Chinese nationals to wear masks and take extra hygiene precautions upon entry into their establishments.

The rural city of Son Loi, 27 miles north of Hanoi, was placed under quarantine Wednesday. Checkpoints manned by police have been installed along its border. The community’s population of 10,000 will not be allowed to leave for 20 days, according to Reuters.

Locals who booked their trips with help from the Chamber are not the only tourists forced to reconsider their travel plans to or from Vietnam. Air Busan has cut service to Da Nang, Vientiane and Hanoi. Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways suspended all flights to South Korea earlier in the week.

Racing organizers decided Wednesday to hold the Formula One Grand Prix in Hanoi on April 5 after considerable deliberation. A scheduled March 24-29 badminton tournament that serves as an Olympic qualifier for one of eastern Asia’s fastest-growing sports was postponed until June.

A representative from Vietnam’s Ministry of Health released a statement Tuesday that all 16 Vietnamese patients infected with the coronavirus have recovered, and that no new Vietnamese national has been infected since Feb. 13.

Hartwick, meanwhile, said he does not blame Citslinc International for the unfortunate timing, adding the Chamber has every intention to use the company for future trips.

“I completely understand people’s reluctance to travel right now,” Hartwick said. “We’re just here to help anyone who wants to change their plans.”