HANOI (XINHUA) - Nearly 16,600 people are being quarantined and monitored, Vietnam's health ministry said on Thursday (Dec 3), as the country tries to contain the latest Covid-19 outbreak.

Vietnam reported three new cases of Covid-19 infection on Thursday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 1,361 with 35 deaths from the disease so far, said the ministry.

The new cases, who include a Nepalese and two Vietnamese citizens, recently entered the country from abroad and were quarantined upon arrival, the ministry said.

Regarding the recent community cases recorded in Vietnam, the police of southern Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday decided to launch criminal proceedings against people involved in transmitting Covid-19.

That includes a flight attendant, 28, who breached Covid-19 quarantine protocols and infected at least three others, including a 32-year-old English language teacher, according to news reports by Vietnam News Agency and VnExpress International.

The teacher subsequently was in contact with other teachers at other schools, VnExpress International reported.

The flight attendant was the first community Covid-19 case reported in Vietnam after the country went through nearly 90 days without any cases of this kind.

On Thursday, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training announced that 170,000 students and teachers from kindergartens to universities have been asked to stay at home as part of Covid-19 prevention measures, VnExpress International reported.