German newspaper praises Vietnam’s response to COVID-19 hinh anh 1A banner on a street in Vinh Phuc province to mobilise people stay safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic (Photo: VNA)

Berlin (VNA) - German newspaper Der Spiegel published an article on April 28 praising Vietnam’s efforts in the prevention and control of COVID-19.

The article noted that only two new cases have been reported in the past 12 days while 221 patients have recovered and the country has had no fatalities.

The fact that the Vietnamese Government has eased the social distancing order it imposed on April 1 expresses the country’s confidence that the situation is under control, Der Spiegel added.

Wearing face masks in public remains compulsory around the country while schools are still closed until further notice. Crowds of up to 20 people are once again permitted, while domestic flights have re-started and shopping malls are open.

The article quoted Dr. Leong Hoe Nam, an infectious disease expert from the Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital in Singapore, as saying that he had great admiration for Vietnam and called the country a role model in fighting the pandemic.

The German newspaper also cited Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc as imploring people in January “to fight the epidemic as if fighting an enemy.”

The PM ordered the closure of schools and border areas with China and Vietnam also banned the entry of foreign tourists and applied quarantine measures on citizens returning from abroad.

The article also emphasised Vietnam’s strict communications policy. Every day the Ministry of Health has sent updated COVID-19 news via SMS to all mobile phone owners and the government uses public loudspeakers to mobilize the population in health protection measures. Anyone spreading false news on social media about the virus has been fined.

The article also appreciated the generosity of a group of former Vietnamese students in Germany who collected around 300 million VND (12,000 USD) to buy about 4,000 FFP-3 and N-95 masks for German doctors./. 

VNA