Over 4,000 delegates to the upcoming 13th National Party Congress, Vietnam’s most important political event, will be tested twice for Covid-19.

Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Nguyen Khac Hien revealed at a recent online meeting held by the municipal Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Delegates to 13th National Party Congress to be tested for Covid-19. Photo: Pham Hai

Participants will have their samples taken for a real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test between January 18 and 23, and the second test will be done two days before the congress, which is scheduled to be held from January 25 to February 2.

The municipal Health Department has finalized the preparation of biological products and equipment to test the virus for all participants at the congress.

Besides, reporters, editors, and technicians who are assigned to work at the 13th National Party Congress will be tested for Covid-19 to ensure absolute safety for the congress, according to the Party Central Committee’s Commission for Communications and Education.

The commission’s official dispatch sent recently to the press said the sample of Covid-19 test will be collected twice: at least seven days before the congress and two or three days ahead of the congress.

The Press Center of the 13th National Party Congress will only issue permit to reporters, editors, and technicians who will have negative test result for coronavirus, the commission said.

Hanoi has gone over five months without local transmission of Covid-19. Meanwhile, Vietnam has not reported any community transmission of the coronavirus in the last 46 consecutive days.

At the time of writing, the country has reported 1,537 Covid-19 cases so far. Among them, 1,380 patients have recovered, while fatalities remain at 35.