Vietnam has suspended medical declaration for all arrivals from April 27 as the Covid-19 pandemic has subsided worldwide, taking into account the decreasing number of new cases and deaths, according to the Ministry of Health (MoH).
The pandemic in Vietnam has been curbed nationwide coupled with high vaccination rates, the ministry said Wednesday.
Instead, the health officials recommended passengers to self-monitor and declare their health conditions via the PC-COVID app on their smartphones during their stay in Vietnam upon completion of immigration procedures. Besides, localities must still keep monitoring incoming people at border gates.
The MoH believes that the cancellation of health declaration procedures for people on entry will help facilitate their travel and reduce congestion at the border gates, especially ahead of the upcoming four-day vacation which will fall later this month.
In the same move, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on April 26 said medical declaration requirement for domestic traveling is also expected to be lifted.
“Vietnam is not tracking down any Covid-19 related cases and is returning to normal, which means health declaration for domestic travelling is unnecessary,” Long said, adding that his ministry will soon provide specific guidance on removing the protocol.
Passengers make medical declaration procedures before entering Vietnam at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Photo: Duong Giang |
Health declaration is part of five protocols to contain the spread of Covid-19 issued in August 2020 by the Ministry of Health. Accordingly, people were required to wear masks, disinfect their hands frequently, keep a safe distance from each other, avoid crowds and make health declarations (known in Vietnamese as the 5K message).
The country of 98 million inhabitants has recorded more than 10.5 million infections, with more than 90% recovered. Notably, the average number of new infections confirmed in the past week was around 10,000 cases per day, down 45% compared to the previous week.
Yet in recent months, with Covid-19 gradually being brought under control, many cities and provinces are proposing the health ministry to adjust the protocol, leaving only the use of facemasks and hand disinfection effective.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam yesterday also urged the MoH to promulgate detailed guidance on medical conditions related to Covid-19 prevention and control for foreigners entering Vietnam. He asked the health ministry to promptly deal with shortcomings on health declaration when conducting entry and exit procedures.
The detailed guidance will be posted on the ministry’s website and sent to the Ministries of Public Security; Foreign Affairs; Transport; and Information and Communications and relevant ministries and agencies for detailed instructions.
Dam also requested the Ministry of Transport and the MoH to send task groups to localities which are home to international airports for timely guidance and removal of obstacles in immigration procedures. They are also asked to have response plan to avoid congestion at airports.
The deputy PM requested that regulations on entry conditions and e-health declaration be clear, detailed, and easy to be complied with.
Because of the complicated evolution of the pandemic, the protocol has become a barrier for the entry amid tourism boom. In reality, every part of Vietnam is in the new normal after the country fully opened its borders to visitors in mid-March, 2022.
