Vietnamese nationals in masks and protective clothes boarded a direct flight from the US back to Vietnam in earlier December 2021. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Fully vaccinated foreign arrivals with negative COVID-19
test results will only need to self-quarantine at home or places of
accommodation for three days upon entry into Vietnam by air, according to
the latest guidance from the Ministry of Health issued on December 16.
The
new regulations will be effective from January 1, 2022, the day Vietnam is set
to resume regular international flights on a pilot basis.
According
to the guidance, the arrivals must have proof of negative COVID-19 test
results (using the gold-standard ) within 72 hours prior to entry
(except in the case of children under two years old), must declare their
health status before entry and must install Vietnam’s PC-COVID app
(available on both Android and iOS) for contact tracing and medical declaration
purposes. The installation of the app is only on a ‘recommended’ basis for
diplomats and entrants on official businesses.
Arrivals
that are Vietnamese citizens, including Vietnamese citizens residing overseas
and the spouses and children of Vietnamese citizens, who have not been
vaccinated against COVID-19, can be vaccinated for free during the quarantine
period if they want to.
Entrants
who have been fully vaccinated, or recovered from COVID-19, must not make
direct contact with other people during the first three days, leave their
places of residence or designated accommodation (hotels, motels, resorts,
offices, dormitories, guest houses, etc.)
Two
RT-PCR tests will be conducted, on the first and third day from the entry.
If
the results return negative, then the entrants still need to self-monitor their
health status for 14 days after arrival, but this is already a huge step down
from the current policies of mandatory seven days of concentrated quarantine
and seven days of follow-up medical self-observation.
If
they are willing to get a COVID-19 test (RT-PCR) on the tenth day, then the
medical self-observation could end then.
For
entrants who have not been fully vaccinated, upon entry, they will stay at
home or place of accommodation for seven days, with RT-PCR tests conducted on
the first and seventh day.
If
the results are negative, the full two weeks of self-observation is applied,
with another RT-PCR test to be done on the fourteenth day from the entry.
For
entrants who are under 18 years old, above 65 years old, pregnant women, or
having underlying health conditions (without requiring care or observation of
medical facilities), they could be quarantined along with their parents or
caretakers.
The
caretakers must be fully vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 and sign a
‘commitment’ document giving their voluntary willingness to quarantine with
another person after having been informed of the risks of virus transmission.
They will also be subject to the same stringent testing regimes and
prevention and control measures expected of foreign arrivals.
During
the self-observation period, the entrants must adhere to 5K message: Khau trang (face mask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).
Anyone
who develops suspect symptoms, like coughing, fever, breathing difficulties or
throat ache, is urged to notify the local health authorities immediately.
The
entrants are also recommended to have rapid antigen tests on the first day of
entry and notify the health authorities if the result returns positive.
The
verification and recognition of foreign COVID-19 vaccination certificates and
recovery certificates are implemented following the guidance of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, while the verification and recognition of Vietnam’s COVID-19
vaccination certificates and recovery certificates are implemented following
the guidance of the Ministry of Health.
Vietnam
has a high vaccination rate currently; 96.4 percent of the adult
population has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine while 76.5 percent
are double vaccinated. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered health
authorities to finish administering two doses of vaccines to 100 percent of the
population aged 18 and above by the end of 2021 and accelerate the inoculation
drive for children.
The
protocols set in this guidance will replace relevant protocols set in previous
guidance related to concentrated quarantine, and further changes to the
quarantine period could be made depending on COVID-19 pandemic developments,
according to the .
The
protocols are not applicable to all entrants who have arrived into Vietnam and
are already within the periods of quarantine and medical self-observation
before the issuance date (December 16, 2021).
The
proposed new rules were first made public by the Ministry of Health just this morning before becoming official
later on the day./.
Source: VietnamPlus
