ABSTRACT After the COVID-19 epidemic began in 2020, many countries have adopted the Zero-COVID strategy that imposes social distancing. While that approach contained the virus's spread, its societal effects remain worrying. Studies on impacts of the containment policy have hitherto concentrated on economic development and as yet little is known about how sectors and governments helped employees cope with the crisis. To address this knowledge gap, we analyse the impact of Zero-COVID-19 policy on Vietnam Airlines employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where the government implemented strict social distancing from 2020 to 2021. Surveys and interviews show that company policy responses focused on employment and finances, ignoring the offline and online stigma that airline employees faced due to the coronavirus. Social labels and social capital seem to worsen these measurements. The fact that airline employees, part of Vietnam's middle class, were vulnerable during the crisis reveals lack of long-term planning and risk solutions in policymaking.