Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Jan 22): 2 imported cases, 10 students volunteer for vaccine trial
	Russia’s second Covid-19 vaccine is 100% effective
	WHO plans slew of COVID-19 vaccine approvals for global rollout

Illustrative photo: Tien Phong

It is normally a time for family reunions, but the Ministries of Health, National Defense and Public Security agree it is necessary to "encourage Vietnamese overseas to comply with pandemic prevention regulations in their host countries."

It is important for them to understand that "not returning home at this time is also a contribution to pandemic prevention in Vietnam," officials from the three ministries said at a meeting with the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on Thursday.

They made the decision after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported there was great demand for returning home for the festival, which falls in the middle of next month, VNExpress reported.

Without providing specific figures, the ministry had said many ethnic Vietnamese living abroad wish to visit the country not only for Tet, by far the biggest and most important festival for Vietnamese, but also to escape the pandemic, which is basically under control in Vietnam.

In addition, their visas have already expired and they have encountered financial issues, said the ministry.

A medical worker tests novel coronavirus samples in a lab in HCMC, April 2020. Photo: VnExpress/Quynh Tran.

The committee said it is critical that borders are sealed to prevent illegal entrants.

It said 46 countries have started vaccinating people against Covid, but to vaccinate the entire population and achieve herd immunity would take long while the new and more contagious strains have been spreading rapidly to various countries.

The health ministry said it is best for Vietnam now to continue with the methods it has been applying since the first outbreak, which include preventing infection, detecting cases of infection, contact tracing, and locating stricken areas and lock them down.

Earlier this month, Vietnam reported its first case of the U.K. Covid variant. She was among a group 305 passengers returning home from Britain in December.

The new strain in the U.K. has spread to 50 countries and territories while the one found later in South Africa has reached 23.

Vietnam - one of the few countries to record positive GDP growth in 2020 Vietnam has successfully achieved the double goals of containing COVID-19 virus and achieving significant economic growth 2.91% in 2020 – one of the few countries ...

Vietnamese Health Minister calls for legal entries over Covid-19 fears Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long warned of the high risk of Covid-19 transmission caused by an increase in the number of illegal entrants into ...

Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Jan 21): Four imported cases recorded in last 24 hours Vietnam recorded four new imported cases of COVID-19 during the past 24 hours, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Meanwhile, ...