Deputy minister of health Nguyễn Thanh Long said at the meeting Việt Nam is at high risk of infection again from external sources. —  VGP Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam plans to set up separate zones with ensured hygienic conditions and testing labs to welcome diplomats, investors and businesspeople who enter Việt Nam to work short-term.

Those people will be staying in Việt Nam on public duty or to negotiate and sign trade and investment contacts. The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control on Thursday assigned deputy minister of foreign affairs Tô Anh Dũng to lead a working group and collaborate with relevant agencies to set up the areas.

At its meeting on Thursday, the committee also agreed to propose resuming commercial flights with countries and territories that have contained the COVID-19 pandemic and have deep multi-faceted relationships with Việt Nam.

The committee said Việt Nam had basically contained the pandemic but its development around the world kept evolving. Some people seem to have become complacent and neglected prevention measures.

According to deputy minister of health Nguyễn Thanh Long, Việt Nam has entered the ‘new normal’ phase, realising double targets of containing the pandemic and recovering its socio-economy.

European countries have gradually loosened prevention and control measures and opened borders. Meanwhile, the pandemic development in North and South America, especially the US and Brazil, is getting more complicated.

After nearly two months without any infection, China has faced a second wave of the virus with Beijing becoming a hotspot over the last several days.

As the second wave of the pandemic has hit a number of countries, Việt Nam is at high risk of infection again from external sources, Long said.

The committee asked its members to stay vigilant and be prepared for new scenarios.

Việt Nam needs to continue tightening control at borders and manage immigration in order not to spread the virus in the community, the committee said.

There are still COVID-19 patients being treated in Việt Nam. More Vietnamese citizens will be repatriated from overseas while foreign experts and skilled labourers will enter Việt Nam. Therefore, Việt Nam should take careful consideration before making an announcement on the end of the pandemic, according to the committee.

The committee assigned Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group and Việt Nam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) to manage the tracing team to identify new cases and prevent transmission.

Việt Nam has so far repatriated more than 8,000 citizens and will continue citizen protection measures in the future.

At the time of the committee’s meeting on Thursday, the world recorded more than 445,900 deaths. Eight countries have more than 10,000 deaths. Thirty countries and territories have kept the fatality rate at zero, including Việt Nam. — VNS