A patrol station to prevent the spread of COVID-19 set up by border guards at the Hữu Nghị international border gate in northern Lạng Sơn Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Quang Duy

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health (MoH) has ordered strict monitoring of Vietnamese citizens returning from China in the face of the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

In a dispatch, the ministry said some Vietnamese nationals returning from China had travelled via neighbouring countries and not undergone medical checks or quarantine.
Authorities in cities and provinces nationwide have been ordered to follow the Prime Minister’s decision on COVID-19 prevention and control and quarantine people and vehicles who have travelled from infected areas.
Quarantine measures must also follow the PM's instructions with guidance from the ministry.
Police have been asked to compile lists of residents who had been in China for 14 days before entering Việt Nam, then report to local steering boards for prevention and control.

No ban on flights from RoK, Japan

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) was allowing flights to continue to the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Japan during the outbreak, CAAV Director General Đinh Việt Thắng said.
The announcement came after some websites circulated information that flights between Việt Nam and the RoK and Japan would be grounded.
Thắng said the information was a complete fabrication, and the CAAV was working with police to investigate the source of the fake news.
National flag carrier Vietnam Airlines also said that flights to the two East Asian countries were operating as normal.
If any schedule adjustments were made, the airline would inform passengers via its website or other official channels, the airline said.
Carrying out the Prime Minister’s Directive No.06/CT-TTg dated January 31 on intensifying preventive measures in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, the CAAV announced a temporary halt to all flights to and from China from 1pm on February 1 (local time). — VNS