Vietnam Cuts Quarantine Time for Fully Vaccinated Entrants

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Repatriated Vietnamese citizens from Japan waiting to do entry procedures at Van Don International Airport in Quang Ninh. Photo: VNA

Fully vaccinated arrivals to Vietnam with negative Covid-19 tests will only have to undergo seven days of centralized quarantine and another seven days for medical observation, according to a new instruction from the health ministry.

The decision, signed by deputy health minister Do Xuan Tuyen, is made based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in Vietnam, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, reported VNN.

A plane lands in Van Don Airport in Quang Ninh province, July 2018. Photo: VnExpress

Those completing centralized quarantine and travelling to their residences/hotels/accommodation for further observation must wear masks, keep a distance, and use the contact tracing app Bluezone, according to the health ministry’s document.

The Bluezone app is required to be active during the seven days of follow-up observation.

The health ministry has requested the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to issue guidance on evaluating and certifying Covid-19 vaccination and recovery certificates. Localities should provide opportunities for entrants to be quarantined in hotels if needed, and entrants would pay the quarantine fees themselves, cited VnExpress.

The local authorities must strictly abide by the instructions from the health ministry in the management of quarantined persons and handover and reception of those completing centralized quarantine period to ensure no cross infections and spread of the virus to the community.

Medical workers in protective suits stand outside a quarantined building amid the coronavirus disease outbreak in Hanoi, Vietnam, January 29, 2021. Photo: Reuters

Since last month, the health ministry has trialed a similar quarantine approach in the northern province of Quang Ninh, which allows fully vaccinated individuals or recovered Covid-19 patients to undergo seven days in centralized quarantine.

Vietnam closed its borders from March last year and those allowed to enter have been mostly Vietnamese citizens stranded abroad, foreign diplomats, investors and high-skilled workers.

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