Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (centre) (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) –
Vietnam will unilaterally stop granting to all Italian citizens
from 0:00 am on March 3, amid fears over the spread of the new
(SARS-CoV-2) epidemic as the number of infected cases is rising rapidly in the
European country.
The information was revealed by at a meeting
of the national steering committee for the SARS-CoV-2-caused acute respiratory
disease prevention and control in Hanoi on March 2.
According to the steering committee, Vietnam has been well controlling the
disease with no new cases recorded since February 13. Son Loi commune in
northern Vinh Phuc province’s Binh Xuyen district, which reported 11 out of the
16 confirmed infection cases, has been quarantined for 20 days, and the
blockage is scheduled to be lifted at 0:00 am on March 4.
However, Dam, who is also head of the steering committee, called for the
continued vigilance to actively cope with the possible appearance of new
infected cases.
According to the Deputy PM, the source of the virus is not from only China as
before, but also from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Iran, Italy and more than 60
other countries and territories across the world.
Therefore, it is difficult to detect the source of infection, as Vietnam cannot
close its door to the world, Dam said, stressing the need to anticipate every
situation, carry out necessary measures and stay vigilant in case new
infections occur.
“Whether the source of infection is discovered or not, it is important to
quickly quarantine and treat the infected patients and those with close contact
to prevent the disease from spreading”, he stressed.
For Vietnamese people returning from the RoK, the Deputy PM asked for strict
concentrated quarantine, and required punishment against those with wrong
consciousness and dishonest declarations.
Regarding Koreans entering Vietnam, he asked relevant agencies to proactively
arrange airports to receive flights from the RoK.
Korean citizens
holding diplomatic passports, official passports or ordinary passports who have
important business in socio-economic development and maintaining relations
between the two countries will be considered for entering Vietnam if they meet
specific requirements, Dam said.
The Deputy PM requested the Ministries of Health, and Science and Technology to
speed up the development of test kits for mass production as more than 10,000
people are being quarantined in Vietnam.
According to the Health Ministry, as of 11:30 on March 2, 89,068 infected cases
were confirmed in 67 nations and territories. The world also recorded 3,046
fatalities, including 2,913 in China, 22 in the RoK and 54 in Iran, 34 in Italy
and 12 in Japan./.
Source: VietnamPlus
