Tighter COVID-19 prevention measures needed during lunar New Year

The Ministry of Public Health has called for tighter measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure health safety during the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, with the focus on controlling entries.
Tighter COVID-19 prevention measures needed during lunar New Year ảnh 1Lang Son forces arrest four people for illegal entry (Source: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Public Health has called for tightermeasures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensure healthsafety during the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) holiday, with the focus oncontrolling entries.

In a new directive issued on January 2, the ministryrequested the local health departments to intensify inspections andsupervisions over entry conditions and procedures, and medical quarantine toearly detect and treat any infections with a view to preventing the coronavirusfrom spreading.

The departments should take actions to increase theresponsibility and awareness of each medical worker in disease prevention andcontrol, carry out specific disease prevention plans and scenarios, and assigntasks for specific individuals and units in case any infection is detected.

They were also asked to instruct district and commune healthunits to coordinate closely with local authorities and the police to monitorthose under quarantine at civil facilities and at home, or those whohave completed their period at concentrated quarantine establishments asregulated by the Health Ministry.

The ministry required the local health departments tointensify inspections over disease prevention and control, and allocatepersonnel to be on duty around the clock on Tet holiday – the longest andbiggest annual festival in Vietnam which will fall in the middle of February.

It is also necessary to work with the media to encourage thepublic to follow the ministry’s measures to prevent Winter-Spring diseases aswell as its 5K (in Vietnamese) message: Khau trang (facemask)- Khu khuan (disinfection)- Khoang cach (distance)- Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (healthdeclaration)./.
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