A  passenger is sampled for COVID-19 testing at Noi Bai International Airport. — Photo  hanoicdc.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — Some arrivals at Hà Nội's Nội Bài International Airport from HCM City will undergo COVID-19 screening tests due to the severity of the outbreak in the south, according to Hà Nội health authorities.

The Hà Nội Department of Health recently sent an official dispatch requesting the health centres of Sóc Sơn and Mê Linh districts and the Hà Nội Centre for Disease Control (CDC) to take samples for random testing of people on flights from the southern city from July 6 by using the rapid diagnostic method or PCR test pool sample.

Hà Nội CDC, Nội Bài International Airport, and Sóc Sơn and Mê Linh medical centres must carry out the testing and report the results to the municipal Department of Health daily.

The airport previously ran a similar screening programme for arrivals from HCM City for 4-5 days in mid-June.

Also on Wednesday, following health ministry's guidelines, Chu Ngọc Anh, Chairman of Hà Nội People's Committe, has signed a decision on COVID-19 measures, which include asking people to refrain from travelling to and from outbreak-hit areas and especially HCM City.

Flight suspension

The Ministry of Transport is considering a proposal to suspend passenger flights from HCM City to Phú Quốc Island and vice versa.

On July 5, the People's Committee of Kiên Giang Province sent a proposal to the Ministry of Transport and the Civil Aviation Administration of Việt Nam (CAAV) requesting permission for the suspension from July 6 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Although no community COVID-19 cases have been reported on the island so far, Phúc Quốc is an isolated island city, far from the mainland and with limited medical resources, especially COVID-19 testing capacity and quarantine facilities.

The provincial People's Committee will propose to reopen the flights when the pandemic is under control.

The Ministry of Transport has assigned the CAAV to comment and report to the ministry on the proposal.

On July 4, the Ministry of Transport agreed to suspend all passenger flights to Côn Đảo Airport of Bà Rịa- Vũng Tàu Province and Thọ Xuân Airport of Thanh Hoá Province and passenger flights from Tân Sơn Nhất of HCM City to Hải Phòng City and the provinces of Quảng Ninh, Gia Lai, Quảng Bình, Nghệ An, Quảng nam and Thừa Thiên-Huế. — VNS