Vietnam tightens COVID-19 preventive measures

Many people in big cities go out without wearing face masks - one of the effective measures to protect them from virus infection in public places.

Accordingly, border localities were required to tighten control and seriously deal with those who illegally enter the country across the border.

“It’s local administrations and people that show the responsibility toward detecting and dealing with illegal entrants, especially those who mastermind rings to bring immigrants to Vietnam illegally,” said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee.

Tight measures will also be implemented at supermarkets, restaurants, schools, hospitals and other public places of large gatherings when localities organize upcoming New Year celebrations, cultural and religious events, as well as spring festivals.

Dam asked relevant ministries and localities to come up with consistent quarantine options for diplomatic and official passport holders, foreign experts, business executives and highly skilled workers, as well as Vietnamese returnees from epidemic hit countries.

The Steering Committee requested research institutes to urgently take samples of recent COVID-19 patients and work closely with external partners to clarify whether the new variants of the SARS-CoV 2 virus have entered Vietnam.

During a meeting several days ago Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the new virus strain had not been recorded in Vietnam.

Nearly 70 countries have imposed travel restrictions from and to the United Kingdom after a new variant strain VOC202012/01 was detected in the country. More than 1,000 British people have been infected with the new strain and the British government has tightened preventive measures.

Several countries such as France, Japan and Singapore have found the new strains of the virus.