PM: Vietnam yet to reopen door for international travelers

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc affirms Vietnam has yet to reopen the door for foreign travellers, but only specialists, business executives and skilled workers

This is the consistent policy of the Vietnamese government with top priority given to protecting people’s health, PM Phuc told permanent members of the Government at a meeting in Hanoi on June 24.

Yet, he did not rule out the possibility of resuming international commercial flights to several markets where the COVID-19 has been brought under control, but stressed the time should be carefully taken into account to ensure the virus cannot be transmitted into Vietnam.

At the same time, the PM asked ministries, agencies and localities to be highly vigilant against the possible recurrence of the virus within the community as it has happened in several countries, in an attempt to safeguard the important results Vietnam has achieved in combating the epidemic over the past months.

Vietnam has so far recorded a total of 352 coronavirus cases with no single death. As many as 329 cases have fully recovered and have been discharged from hospital, making up nearly 94% of the total number of infections.

Vietnam has also gone through 69 days without new locally transmitted infections. Most of the newly detected cases recently returned from epidemic hit countries, but they could not pose any risk to the community as they were placed in quarantine upon their arrival.

The government has only permitted foreign specialists, business executives and highly skilled workers to enter and undertake projects in Vietnam, PM Phuc said, adding that these inpiduals must be subject to medical surveillance and a 14-day quarantine period according to regulations on COVID-19 prevention and control.

In addition, he said the government allowed businesses to resume sending Vietnamese labourers abroad under signed labour contracts with partners if they are accepted by the recipient countries.

Chairing the meeting, PM Phuc says there is no room for complacency to avoid the possible recurrence of the coronavirus in Vietnam (Photo: VGP)

The PM also asked designated agencies and localities to tighten control over Vietnamese returnees from epidemic hit countries as more and more Vietnamese citizens stranded overseas due to COVID-19 will be repatriated in the time to come. It was reported that Vietnamese airlines have conducted 33 flights to bring home approximately 8,000 Vietnamese citizens from 42 countries and territories. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 35,000 Vietnamese nationals abroad have expressed their desires to return to the homeland. The PM agreed to create conditions for about 14,000 selected citizens to return home in the first phase.