Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam chaired a meeting of the national COVID-19 steering committee on Thursday. — VNA/VNS Photo Văn Điệp

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam demanded serious compliance to the rules laid down of the management of people entering Việt Nam so as to prevent the transmission of coronavirus.

At the meeting of the national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control in Hà Nội late Thursday, Deputy Minister of Health Đỗ Xuân Tuyên said the Ministry had worked with other ministries and sectors to draft procedures for the entry, monitoring and health quarantine of those entering Việt Nam from “epidemiologically safe countries” via commercial flights.

Việt Nam has gradually taken steps to reopen its border to certain groups – investors, businesspeople, highly skilled workers and experts, repatriated Vietnamese citizens, or diplomats – after shutting down back in March against all types of foreign arrivals in a bid to control the spread.

At present, people entering Việt Nam have to undergo COVID-19 testing three times, instead of twice like previously regulated, so as to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

The MoH is managing information about those entering the country, and it will provide access rights for local authorities and health and police forces to facilitate the monitoring of these people in their localities, the deputy minister added.

At the meeting, experts emphasised three groups that may trigger COVID-19 community transmission: people entering Việt Nam illegally, those entering legally but not adhering to disease prevention and control rules, and some imported goods.

Discussing procedures and measures to manage those coming from abroad, they also stressed the need to create favourable conditions for foreign entrepreneurs, investors, workers, and experts to meet domestic production and business demand.

Deputy Minister of Transport Lê Anh Tuấn suggested relevant agencies soon issue detailed guidelines for the reopening of commercial international air routes, with priority given to routes linking with safe countries, to help realise the “twin targets” of fighting against COVID-19 and promoting economic growth.

Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world, Director of the MoH’s Department of Preventive Medicine Đặng Quang Tấn said although the domestic disease situation has been brought under control, staying vigilance is a must since winter with favourable weather for the virus development is coming.

Disease prevention and control measures still need to be continued, especially communications to raise public awareness, he added, recommending big and populous localities like Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng and Khánh Hoà make the wearing of face masks compulsory and fine any who refuses to do so like in HCM City.

Echoing the view, Deputy PM Vũ Đức Đam pointed out that as COVID-19 is spreading rapidly in the world, with almost 400,000 new cases every day, Việt Nam must not drop their guard but consolidate all forces and ready all anti-pandemic measures.

He requested serious management and quarantine of people entering the country, stressing that they still have to be monitored for another 14 days after finishing their quarantine period so as not to enable a new outbreak. — VNS