Localities tighten supervision of people arriving from abroad to prevent COVID-19 transmissions

Suspected COVID-19 patients go to a concentrated quarantine facility in Hanoi (Photo: VNA)

Dung made the order during a virtual meeting of the municipal steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control held on January 7.

Hanoi so far has logged a total of 198 infections, including 77 cases since July 25, and zero deaths, according to Deputy Director of Ha Noi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh.

The capital has gone through 143 days without locally transmitted cases, he added.

Eight new infections reported in the past week were all among people returning from abroad who had been quarantined upon arrival. The patients are receiving treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

Relevant agencies were urged to review procedures related to concentrated quarantine, as all citizens returning from abroad must stay in quarantine for two weeks and test negative with COVID-19 twice before leaving the facilities.

The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap also vowed to tighten the management of the border to prevent illegal entries.

At a working session between the provincial authorities, the provincial border guard high command and other organisations on January 7, it was reported that between March 2020 and January 6, 2021, more than 1,100 people were sent to concentrated quarantine facilities of the province, including 373 illegal migrants. Four cases were transferred to competent agencies for legal actions.

The border guard force also worked with Cambodian authorities to launch joint actions to curb the spread of the pandemic and crime activities.

The provincial leaders asked the border guard force to maintain sufficient personnel at border posts, and bolster patrol at trails and border crossings along with information sharing with the Cambodian side.

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For its part, Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has ordered the stricter implementation of anti-pandemic measures at ports.

It has called on the International Medical Quarantine Centre, HCM City Maritime Port Administration and HCM City Border Guard Command to step up monitoring and inspection at ports in the city.

They have been asked to regularly report on the results of anti-pandemic measures and advise the department on allowing sailors to come ashore after a sufficient period of isolation on their ships.

The department instructed the HCM City Centre for Disease Control to provide training in pandemic prevention to officers working at ports and disseminate information related to pandemic prevention to all port employees.

It said captains and sailors of foreign ships should be clearly informed about Vietnamese regulations on pandemic prevention, and the former must be held responsible if any of their crew is found violating them.

Violations must be properly handled, it said.

Supervision of people entering and leaving ports must be enhanced to ensure compliance with pandemic prevention regulations, it said.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc recently ordered the tightening of borders to prevent illegal entry by people.

He also instructed the Ministry of National Defence and its health, public security and foreign affairs counterparts to ensure everyone entering Vietnam is quarantined.

He earlier called on all citizens to report illegal entrants and stay vigilant against them since they could pose a risk of COVID infection.

People entering the country illegally must be suitably penalised, he added.

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