Vietnam will carry out thorough screening of all immigrants in the face of the fresh coronavirus outbreak in the country, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said at a meeting on May 4.

Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a meeting on May 4. Photo: VGP

The checking requires cooperation between police and authorized agencies, aiming to prevent imported sources of Covid-19 transmission.

Other missions include strict implementation of quarantine rules to avoid cross-infection within the quarantine facilities and the community, Dam told local authorities.

Covid-19 has resurged in Vietnam on April 29 due to some negligence in quarantine regulations. Since then, top leaders have urged authorized agencies to toughen isolation rules and lengthen the quarantine time to over 14 days.

Nghe An's border guards recently unveil a group of more than 50 illegal Chinese immigrants. Photo: Suckhoedoisong

Police have so far staged crack down on illegal immigration in some localities, finding hundreds of aliens residing unlawfully in lodging facilities.

In addition, border guards and police in bordering localities have found hundreds of Vietnamese nationals attempting to return to the country illegally, posing threat on the pandemic transmission.

Up to half of total Covid-19 cases in Vietnam are imported. The transmission sources are from Vietnamese returnees, high skilled workers, and illegal immigrants.

Speaking at the meeting, Dang Quang Tan, head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said illegal immigrants and negligence in the quarantine rules would pose threat to the country’s pandemic containment.

Nghe An sends more soldiers to the areas bordering with Laos amid Covid-19 uncertainties. Photo: Suckhoedoisong

Given surging Covid-19 infections in the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos, Vietnam’s border guards are tightening patrols along the border.

Accordingly, forces in the central provinces of Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, and Quang Tri are engaging in the border check with Laos while the Southwestern province of An Giang, Long An, Dong Thap, Tay Ninh, and Kien Giang are checking the movements in roads and waterways.