Flights between Đắk Lắk and HCM City have been suspended from August 5 as the province fears the import of Covid. Photo: tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY  -  The Ministry of Transport has agreed to suspend passenger flights to Buôn Ma Thuột from HCM City from August 8 to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The People's Committee of Đắk Lắk Province, of which Buôn Ma Thuột is the capital, had on August 1 urged the ministry to stop flights from HCM City, which has been the epicentre of the outbreak.

It said the risk of a COVID outbreak in Đắk Lắk was very high, and it had already had 225 infections, mostly brought by people coming from HCM City and south-eastern provinces.

The Ministry of Transport has instructed the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam to promptly inform airlines and relevant agencies about the suspension.

Special flights carrying medical staff and supplies will be considered for exemption.

Hải Phòng City and the eight provinces of Quảng Ninh, Quảng Bình, Gia Lai, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, Thanh Hóa, Thừa Thiên-Huế, Quảng Nam, and Nghệ An have so far stopped flights to HCM City. VNS