Vietnam’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) Mission in Vietnam have warned local people to restrict movement for Tet or the Lunar New Year holiday which will begin in a week.

Students rush to return hometown for Tet holiday. Photo: Lao Dong

The bodies have conveyed a message that states “Health is the best gift we can give each other on this Tet holiday” amid the rising number of locally-transmitted Covid-19 infections.

Therefore, people are advised to “Be ready to change your plans in the last minute if you or those whom you plan to celebrate Tet with are sick or may have been in close contact with confirmed cases.”

In case of celebrating Tet outside their home, people need to be aware of safety measures in the place they stay and follow precautions.

The Ministry of Health maintains its advice about the 5K message (in Vietnamese): masking – disinfection – no gathering – health declaration – distance.

Tet, the traditional biggest holiday in Vietnam, is an occasion when people reunion and send best wishes for the year to come.

Ahead of Tet, the number of journeys nationwide surge drastically, especially this year thanks to Vietnam’s Covid-19 success story. To ensure safety for people, the government of Vietnam has advised overseas Vietnamese people to rethink homecoming for their own safety amid the global health crisis.

According to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Vietnam has repatriated nearly 90,000 citizens in the Covid-19 pandemic.

Since the resurgence of local transmission on January 28, Vietnam has recorded 375 new locally-transmitted infections, totalling the caseload to 1,957.