Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked government agencies to bring home around 14,000 Vietnamese citizens in the course of rising global infections of coronavirus.

Vietnamese citizens wait to board a plane to fly home from Australia and New Zealand. Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The returnees will be those in the priority list: Children under 18, the elderly, the sick, laborers with expired contracts or no accommodation, students without dormitories, stranded tourists, and others of special cases.

The repatriation needs to meet requirements on safety and quarantine capacity, according to an announcement by the Government Office on July 2.

This plan maps out the repatriation of Vietnamese citizens which has been carried out since the virus outbreak. So far, the country has repatriated more than 11,000 citizens from different parts of the world.

For those who are in the priority list by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should receive privilege in entry procedures and the criteria for selection must be transparent, the Government Office noted, citing orientations of the PM.

The Ministry of Defense and localities need to prepare quarantine centers, including military barracks, military schools, hotels, and lodging facilities for the returnees who would undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine.

The Ministry of Transport is asked to operate more commercial flights to repatriate both Vietnamese people and foreign diplomats, experts, and businesspeople, as well as to send Vietnamese workers abroad.

Relaxing entry of foreign visitors of special cases

PM Phuc has also allowed local authorities to authorize the entry of foreign diplomats, experts, businesspeople, and skilled workers, including for a stay of less than 14 days.

Localities having international airports, roads, and waterways need to choose safe destinations for the visitors who come for investment and trade purposes.

Meanwhile, the National Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control is tasked to continue research on the criteria for safe destinations or areas that meet requirements on the resumption of international commercial flights.

Vietnam is one of few countries in Asia that have relaxed traveling restrictions and reopened the economy. So far, the country has undergone 78 days without local transmission.