Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has decided tominimize the number of flights carrying Vietnamese citizens back home from nowuntil the lunar New Year holiday, which falls in mid-February, as morecontagious variants of coronavirus have been detected in many countries.

In a Government Office dispatch communicating the decisionfrom the Prime Minister, the country will only allow in truly necessary flightsthat have been approved on a case-by-case basis by five ministries – theMinistry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of PublicSecurity, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Defence – along withapproval from the PM himself.

Vietnam closed its border in March last year to curb thespread of the pandemic but has gradually opened up to a limited number offlights which carry repatriated Vietnamese citizens from overseas, foreignbusiness executives and experts or skilled workers, and diplomats.

The Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health aretasked with preparing facilities to implement mandatory quarantine for allVietnamese entrants. Quarantine length and protocol must be reviewed to takeinto account the increased transmissibility of the new variants of the virus.

Local governments are asked to beef up inspections ofquarantine facilities under their jurisdictions (except concentrated quarantinefacilities managed by the military) to ensure the observance of COVID-19prevention and control regulations.

All short-term foreign entries will be placed under concentratedquarantine for 14 days, except in special cases considered by the Ministry ofForeign Affairs.

The health ministry and provincial-level People’s Committeesmust ensure the transport, reception and follow-up medical monitoring of peopledischarged from quarantine facilities are conducted properly and transgressionsare strictly punished.

PM Phuc ordered the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry ofPublic Security to enhance entry and exit management on the country’s land,sea, and other waterway border routes.

The Ministry of Public Security and provincial/municipal administrationsshould work with local administrations to communicate to families with membersstaying overseas to discourage illegal entry.

People who wish to return to Vietnam via land routes butsuffer financial difficulties will be considered for quarantine fee support bylocal authorities, according to the dispatch.

After the Tet holiday ends, the Ministry of Transport shouldstudy the resumption of regular commercial flights as per the Government’sinstructions to serve the dual goal of pandemic containment and economicrecovery, as well as the travel needs of citizens./.