People waiting for flights at Nội Bài International Airport. — Photo noibaiairport.vn

HÀ NỘI — Passengers on flights from countries where the Omicron variant is present will no longer have to quarantine in centrally-controlled facilities on arrival in Hà Nội, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Việt Nam (CAAV).

Earlier this week, the Hà Nội People’s Committee issued Plan No 310/KH-UBND in response to the Omicron variant. Under the plan, all passengers from countries where Omicron is present must undertake centralised quarantine, regardless of passenger health history, vaccinations or prior COVID-19 infections.

A representative from the aviation authority said that the CAAV held a meeting with city leaders, during which the vice-chairman of the city People’s Committee, Nguyễn Mạnh Quyền, said that the city decided to deactivate Plan No 310.

According to regulations issued by the Health Ministry, fully vaccinated people entering Việt Nam to work for less than 14 days are not required to undergo medical isolation. However, Hà Nội decided to unilaterally impose stricter requirements under Plan No 310.

On December 29, the Ministry of Transport proposed to the Prime Minister the resumption of regular commercial international flights, stating that the removal of centralised quarantine for passengers was a key factor in facilitating this resumption.

Hà Nội’s stricter quarantine requirement would have made the resumption of international flights less feasible.

The Ministry of Transport asked the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities to follow the Guidelines of the Ministry of Health without extra regulations or requirements.

Localities at all levels are urged to implement COVID-19 prevention measures for people entering the country, following the guidance of the Ministry of Health, to ensure safety and avoid cross infections or disease spread within the community.

On Tuesday, Việt Nam announced the first case of Omicron within the country, a man who arrived in Hà Nội from the United Kingdom on December 19.

The patient was immediately quarantined after he landed in the country and has not had any contact with the public. 

In the last 11 days, Hà Nội has recorded over 1,600 new cases per day. Over the past six days, the daily number of cases has increased to nearly 2,000 cases.

Two weeks ago, Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh of the Hà Nội People's Committee ordered the city's health sector to complete additional injections for people aged 18 and over before January 31, 2022.

In the last few days, about 30,000-90,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the city each day as districts speed up third-dose vaccinations. By December 29, more than 232,000 people in the city have received their third COVID-19 vaccine dose. — VNS