Salon boss tells staff to remove masks to shout out slogans, caused 65 people contract Covid-19 later

Vietnam — A beauty salon director’s attempt in getting his team fired up with motivational quotes resulted in 65 people getting infected with Covid-19.

During a company briefing in May, the boss had his employees shout company slogans and business goals with their masks off, reported The Smart Local on Jun 22.

Amida Beauty Salon director, 29-year-old Nguyen Quang Trong, had called for a team meeting on May 2, with over 30 team members attending.

The salon is located in Da Nang, a coastal city in central Vietnam, which saw multiple Covid-19 outbreaks in Apr 2021. As a result, local authorities prohibited large gatherings in public areas to curb community transmissions.

“How can you shout slogans with masks on?” said Mr Nguyen, as reported by Vietnamese paper Thanh Nien.

To address their director’s displeasure, the staff members pulled their masks off and began shouting the company slogans.

After the incident, it was reported that 65 people, including those who were close contacts of the employees, tested positive for Covid-19.

Over VND7.1 billion (S$414,240) have been spent on the costs for treatment and transportation of the Covid-19 patients linked to the salon.

Da Nang police arrested Mr Nguyen on Jun 21 for breaching Covid-19 regulations.

He is currently in detention while police and medical professionals investigate the incident and trace possible links to the salon. /TISG

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