CAAV raises COVID-19 warning to highest level at airports

Passengers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Civil AviationAuthority of Vietnam (CAAV) late February 7 issued a directive on intensifyingurgent COVID-19 prevention and quarantine measures at airports since traveldemands have increased for the Lunar New Year holiday while the COVID-19situation becomes more complicated.

As many airport staff members were tested positive with the SARS-CoV-2 virus,including the latest cases at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, the CAAVordered airport authorities, the Airports Corporation of Vietnam, the VietnamAir Traffic Management Corporation, Vietnam Airlines Corporation, Tan Son NhatInternational Airport, domestic airlines and other firms in the aviation industryto strictly follow prevention measures and instructions from the PrimeMinister, the Ministry of Transport and the CAAV.

The CAAV asked aviation businesses and authorities to raise the COVID-19 warningstatus to the highest level, particularly at airports and flight controlfacilities.

Staff members must stay vigilant against the pandemic, and carry out preventionmeasures as requested by the authority, the directive said, adding bothaviation staff and passengers must wear face masks properly, wash hands withsoap or use the alcohol-based hand sanitiser that contains at least 60 percentof alcohol.

Besides, any passenger with abnormal symptoms must be reported to medicalauthorities while equipment and high-risk areas at airports must be constantlydisinfected to prevent contamination, the CAAV said.

All domestic airlines need to require passengers to obey COVID-19 preventionrules before and during boarding, along with implementing the National SteeringCommittee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control’s direction on quarantine forflight crew.

Furthermore, they are asked to pen measures to handle violations of quarantinerules, and prevent the spread of virus to the community through flight crews.

Vietnam logged four locally-transmitted COVID-19 infections in Ho Chi Minh Cityin the past 12 hours as of 6am on February 8. All the new patients are baggagehandlers at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, and work in the same team withPatient 1,979 who was confirmed positive with the coronavirus over the weekend.

The country has recorded 2,005 SARS-CoV-2 infections so far. Of the total,1,115 are locally-transmitted cases, with 422 detected since the latestcoronavirus outbreak hit the nation on January 27./.

VNA