RoK people in Seoul wear face masks to prevent COVID-19. — XINHUA/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Consular Department under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea (RoK) has recommended Vietnamese citizens to avoid travel to areas affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and places vulnerable to the disease.

The warning was made given the complex development of the COVID-19 in the RoK.

Vietnamese citizens were also advised to keep a close watch and follow instructions of local agencies to prevent the illness.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Vietnamese Embassy in the RoK to work with local agencies to learn more about the situation, keep in touch with Vietnamese citizens in the country, establish a hotline and be ready to take protection measures when necessary.

According to the embassy, as of February 21, no Vietnamese citizens had been infected with the epidemic in the RoK.

In case of emergency, it is recommended to contact the hotline of the Vietnamese Embassy +82 10-3622-6618 or the citizen protection hotline: +84 981 84 84 84.

Hà Nội authorities held an emergency meeting yesterday due to the new worrying developments of the outbreak. Nguyễn Đức Chung, Chairman of Hà Nội People's Committee, said that there are many RoK citizens working and living in the city, and they have been going in and out of the city unrestricted in the last two weeks.

Chung said that if the situation in RoK deteriorates, Hà Nội might need to evacuate its citizens.

The city's health department is proposing 14-day quarantine against both RoK citizens and Vietnamese citizens entering the country from the virus-hit regions.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport said it had not yet decided to suspend the air routes between Việt Nam and ROK, a high-ranking official said on Sunday.

Speaking to Vietnam News Agency, Deputy Minister Lê Anh Tuấn further added that RoK passengers who have booked or bought tickets to Việt Nam had cancelled their plans and currently flights from Việt Nam only carried RoK passengers back to their country.

As there are no passengers, airlines had suspended flights from Việt Nam to Daegu city, the epicentre of the disease in the RoK, the official said, stressing that authorities were closely watching the situation there. — VNS