Prime Minister orders check of all entrants into Vietnam since March 8

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered a thorough review of all entrants - Vietnamese and foreigners - into Vietnam since March 8 to discover COVID-19 infection cases and prevent community spread.

He asked the Minister of Public Security and Chairpersons of the municipal and provincial People’s Committees to direct the implementation of the review and complete the work before 12:00 on March 25.

The order was part of a range of orders finalised and released on March 24 following the March 23 meeting of the government’s permanent members.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tasked to direct representative offices abroad to continue with citizen protection work, and encourage overseas Vietnamese not to flock home like the previous days but take preventive measures in the host countries.

The ministry was told to make a list of cases that need to return home, and coordinate with the Ministry of Transport and airlines to arrange flights for them if domestic quarantine areas are available.

At the meeting, the PM also requested to suspend unnecessary services, minimise the number of flights landing at Hanoi’s Noi Bai and Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat international airports, purchase quick test kits, and promote communications preventing cross infection in the community.

Vietnam has so far recorded 123 cases tested positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, including 17 having fully recovered and with no death./.