Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 19): No new cases this morning, plans on resumption of in-person learning

	Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 15): Vietnam records 34 new COVID-19 cases
	Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 14): 53 cases, medical report required for people return to Hanoi
	Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 13): 2 new cases, new variant found in Tan Son Nhat airport

Photo: VN Express

No new cases this morning, 18 in last 24 hours

No new cases were found this morning, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Meanwhile, eighteen cases of COVID-19 were recorded to 6 pm on February 18, all in the northern province of Hai Duong.

Hai Duong - Vietnam's current largest COVID-19 hotspot - had basically managed to put under control five big outbreaks by February 18, said the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control. The five outbreaks are in Chi Linh and Hai Duong cities, Cam Giang and Nam Sach districts, and Kinh Mon township. The province has implemented strict lockdown measures since February 16 with 949 control stations set up across the province to monitor entry and exit.

Photo: Vietnam Plus

Returnees to HCM City must submit ‘trustful’ health declaration forms

Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Health has told people who have returned to the city from other provinces and cities in the past 14 days to complete ‘honest’ health declarations amid the unpredictable COVID-19 situation across the country.

Employees are expected to complete health declarations at their workplace if they traveled to other provinces and cities in the past two weeks. People returning from localities considered hotspots as announced by the HCM City Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must notify local authorities and health units for guidance on COVID-19 surveillance and testing.

Returnees from other provinces and cities can complete health declarations on the Ministry of Health’s website tokhaiyte.vn. District authorities and newly established Thu Duc city, including the COVID-19 community taskforce, will supervise the health declaration activities.

According to the CDC, the city is continuing to conduct extensive screening in the community, especially at public transport areas, to assess the risk of disease. At Tan Son Nhat International Airport, 10-20 percent of arrivals will be randomly sampled for testing. At Saigon Railway Station, 100 samples of passengers will be tested a day.

Photo: Vietnam Plus

Hai Duong province puts five outbreaks under control

The northern province of Hai Duong - Vietnam's current largest COVID-19 hotspot - had basically managed to put under control five big outbreaks by February 18, said the provincial steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control. The five outbreaks are in Chi Linh and Hai Duong cities, Cam Giang and Nam Sach districts, and Kinh Mon township.

The province has implemented strict lockdown measures since February 16 with 949 control stations set up across the province to monitor entry and exit. The province has as of February 18 recorded 558 COVID-19 patients in 75 out of 235 communes and wards in all of its 12 district-level localities since January 27. It has more than 13,900 F1 (close contact) cases, of whom more than 5,300 have completed their quarantine period, and more than 67,700 F2 cases, of whom more than 46,800 have completed their quarantine period at home.

Following the direction of the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Hai Duong province, the Chi Linh Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has moved all 1,625 workers of Poyun Company to nine new quarantine centers. The move was made after experts from the MoH reported environmental and air pollution at the old quarantine centers.

Photo: VN Express

Cities, provinces announce plans on resumption of in-person learning after Tet

Cities and provinces across the country have announced plans on the resumption of in-person learning after the week-long Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday, which ended on February 16, over fears of the COVID-19 spread. According to the Ministry of Education and Training, Da Nang city and 13 provinces, including Kien Giang, Ha Tinh, Bac Kan, Ca Mau, Da Nang, Dak Lak, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang and Lang Son, decided to open schools on February 17, while Yen Bai keeps students home until February 19.

A total of 23 cities and provinces plan to re-open schools early next week. They include Quang Nam, Hau Giang, Bac Binh, Ben Tre, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ha Nam, Tra Vinh, Quang Ngai, Phu Tho, Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh, Dak Nong, Lai Chau, Vinh Long, and Quang Ninh, which will allow students to return to school on February 21. Meanwhile, students in Thanh Hoa, An Giang, Lao Cai, Quang Binh, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu will come back to school a day later. Those in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City alongside eight other localities – Tay Ninh, Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Phu Yen, Thai Nguyen, Binh Dinh, Dien Bien, and Long An – will have their Tet holiday extended until February 28.

The remainder, including Son La, Thai Binh, Bac Giang, Can Tho, Dong Thap, Hai Duong, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Kon Tum, Ninh Thuan, Vinh Phuc, Cao Bang, Tuyen Quang, Gia Lai, and Ha Giang, will continue closing schools until further notice.

Photo: VN Express

Hanoi conducts testing for people coming from pandemic-hit regions

All people living in Hanoi with recent travel history to COVID-19-hit regions of 12 localities must self-quarantine and test for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, announced the municipal Department of Health in February 18.

The cases include those who traveled from or to Cam Giang district of the northern province of Hai Duong– the country’s largest hotspot, from January 15; and returned from other localities of Hai Duong from February 2.

People went to pandemic-hit regions of Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hung Yen, Hoa Binh, Ha Giang, and Dien Bien in the north; Gia Lai in the Central Highlands region; and Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong in the south, are also required to take the test. Duration for health declaration and COVID-19 testing will last from February 18 to 20. Those required to take the test can contact hotlines 0969.082.115 or 0949.396.115.

Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 18): Hanoi to test all people from pandemic-hit areas People who return to Hanoi from pandemic-hit Hai Duong to Hanoi from February 2 are required to test for COVID-19.

Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 17): 40 new case, Hanoi allows indoor eateries to operate if meeting safety requirements Forty COVID-19 cases were confirmed during the past 24 hours to 6 am on February 17, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention ...

Vietnam COVID-19 Updates (Feb 16): 42 new cases found, Hanoi closes street F&B shops 42 cases of COVID-19 were recorded, raising the national count to 2,271, according to the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.