COVID-19: Reasonably priced hotels required to serve people quarantined upon arrival

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People's Committee Ngo Van Quy speaks at a meeting of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control (Photo: Xuan Quang/Vietnam+)

Hanoi (VNA) - The cost of concentrated quarantine at hotels is quite expensive. At the meeting on October 8 afternoon, the city leaders asked the Department of Tourism to come up with a plan to expand popular quarantine establishments, ensuring their suitability for disease prevention in the new context.

More budget friendly hotels join the force

At the meeting, Ms. Ngo Minh Hoang, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Tourism, said that up to this point, 37 hotels have been registered as concentrated quarantine facilities, of which 15 have been approved, the rest are not eligible, and some hotels have just registered.

With 15 approved hotels, 12 hotels have welcomed foreign experts and people who enter Vietnam to conduct quarantine, with room occupancy accounting for 58.7 percent, many accounting for over 90 percent.

"In the coming time, the Department will continue to coordinate with the Department of Health and localities to survey and increase the number of hotels to respond to the new situation for quarantine," said Ms. Ngo Minh Hoang.

However, according to Vice Chairman of Hanoi City People's Committee Ngo Van Quy, many hotels have the lowest price of 2.6 million VND, which is very expensive when taking into account the 14-day quarantined period.

Through research, most returnees are children, students and workers who do not have a job due to COVID-19. Therefore, the fees for staying 14 days in a hotel will be too costly for them.

Therefore, if they stay in the military quarantine area, the cost can be markedly reduced during the 14 days period.

“However, if they all choose to quarantine in the military facilities, its capacity might not be enough, and being quarantined at hotels might pose financial burden for many people. Therefore, the Department of Tourism should consider reviewing more affordable hotels to support the people during the pandemic,” Vice Chairman Ngo Van Quy said.

Medical fees payment

Regarding the cost of medical examination and treatment, a representative of the Department of Finance informed that all cases which opt for self-quarantine at hotels will pay for the medical fees themselves.

In case of isolation at military facilities, they must pay 80,000 VND/day for meals, 40,000 VND/day for other service and living expenses.

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh provides information on the disease control situation in the capital city. (Photo: Xuan Quang/ Vietnam+)

Regarding the cost for COVID-19 testing and treatment, Vietnamese people continue to be paid by the State budget as regulated on Clause 2, Article 48 of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

In addition, for other costs of medical examination and treatment during the period of concentrated quarantine for people with health insurance, agencies, organizations, enterprises and health insurance agency will pay for the medical examination and treatment expenses which are covered within health insurance. Individuals pay their costs not covered by health insurance.

For those who do not have health insurance, individuals will pay the full cost of medical examination and treatment at the price prescribed by the competent authority.

According from the Ministry of Transport, the number of people entering Hanoi is around 1,000 people through commercial flights. It is highly requested that agencies focus its efforts on preventing the spread of the epidemic…

“At present, it is easy to see in public, many people started to neglect epidemic prevention measures. In some places, people forget to wear a mask or use hand sanitiser. Relevant agencies need to implement strict measures as well as strictly punish those who do not comply,” according to Director of the Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien./.