VIETNAM is preparing for lockdown after Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc put major cities on standby to stop the spread of coronavirus. 

The number of confirmed cases in the country has passed 200.

“Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City have to review and update plans to battle the virus and have to stand ready for city lockdown scenarios,” Mr Phuc said in a statement.

“Vietnam has entered the pandemic’s peak period, major cities have to speed up and take advantage of each hour and minute to carry out defined measures,” he said.

The communist government met this afternoon and laid out measures to ensure that funds were available for those unable to work due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

It has already pumped some $1.1 billion  (£890 million) into the economy, but the situation remains desperate, and the government has appealed for voluntary funds.

Vietnam has no recorded deaths from Covid-19 despite sharing a border with China, the former epicentre of the global pandemic.

Mr Phuc has been praised as a “national hero” for his efforts, with the authorities attributing their success to contact-tracing measures.

Vietnam reacted quickly to the outbreak, “declaring war” on the coronavirus during the Tet New Year celebrations, when there were no reported cases in the country.

Today additional forces were sent to patrol Vietnam’s 60-mile border with Cambodia to prevent unauthorised entry into the country.

Inbound flights have already been stopped, while both indoor and outdoor public gatherings have been banned until at least April 15.

The Health Ministry said that more than 75,000 people remain in quarantine; the government says it aims to keep the number of coronavirus cases below 1,000.