Today’s English “No changes to 21-day quarantine policy for foreign arrivals”

No changes to 21-day quarantine policy for foreign arrivals: Foreign ministry.

Việt Nam, for the time being, has no plans to adjust its current foreign arrivals policies, including mandatory 21-day quarantine, the foreign ministry spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng confirmed.

She made the statement during Thursday’s press briefing, amid calls from business groups like the American Chamber of Commerce in Hà Nội to relax quarantine policies especially for vaccinated travelers in a bid to bring more people to Việt Nam.

Việt Nam however is suffering from a devastating fourth wave of infections that have so far logged over 3,000 confirmed cases in just one month since April 27, 2021, after internationally recognized successful containment since the pandemic began earlier last year with a range of measures from strict border closures to effective contact tracing, targeted testing, quarantine management, and lockdown policies.

Earlier this month, the quarantine period for foreign arrivals and direct contacts of confirmed COVID-19 patients was extended from 14 to 21 days.

The country also does not have yet any specific policy towards those who hold the so-called vaccine passports proving that they have been fully inoculated against COVID-19, Hằng said, adding that the country can modify policies based on the circumstances at the time.

“Amid the complicated developments of the coronavirus pandemic around the world and in Việt Nam, policies and measures pertaining to monitoring and quarantining of people entering Việt Nam are always flexibly adjusted by the Vietnamese Government so as to both prevent the transmission of the virus to protect public health and to resume business activities and economic growth,” she said.

Under the direction of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the foreign ministry said it is working with relevant authorities, including the health ministry, to develop appropriate guidance on quarantine protocol for foreign arrivals which would take into account factors such as vaccination, time of stay in Việt Nam, and outbreak situation at home and abroad.

As vaccine passports are being carried out in many countries, authorities have been conducting studies and assessments of the policy, she said, adding that the foreign ministry is aggregating experience from countries implementing the initiative so that proposals could be made to the Government on the opening of the border.