Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – More than 80 flights have been operated so far, bringing homesafely more than 21,000 Vietnamese citizens from some 50 countries andterritories, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang has said.
Sheunveiled the figures while answering questions regarding Vietnam’s plan to flyhome its citizens abroad in the context of new locally-transmitted COVID-19cases in the country, during the ministry’s regular press conference on August6.
Theflights were arranged under the Prime Minister’s instructions, and with thehighest determination of competent agencies at home, as well as Vietnam’srepresentative offices abroad, the spokesperson said.
Hangemphasised that the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens in extremely difficultcircumstances will be conducted in accordance with their wish and domestic quarantinecapacity.
Citingsources of the Overseas Labour Management under the Ministry of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs, the spokesperson said 226 Vietnamese are working in Uzbekistan under a labourprovision contract between a domestic company and the China Petroleum Jili Chemical Engineering and ConstructionCo. Ltd (JCC).
Dueto COVID-19, the workers have stopped working and are self-quarantined at theiraccommodations, Hang said, adding that local authorities confirmed some of themhad tested positive for the coronavirus.
TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs has instructed the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia,which also is in charge of Uzbekistan, to contact the workers to get updated ontheir conditions, and talk to concerned companies and local authorities to askfor necessary measures to take care of the health of the workers.
Vietnamesecompetent agencies and the embassy are coordinating closely with localauthorities to build a plan to bring home the citizens as soon as possible,scheduled for this month./.
VNA
