In an urgent telegram recently sent to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, the ministry said the suspension will come into effect as from 00.00hrs March 25 until the end of March 31.
The ministry asked the aviation industry to immediately implement the decision, and at the same time facilitate procedures for flights carrying foreigners stranded in Vietnam back to their countries.
According to Nguyen Thanh Phong, chairman of the HCM City People’s Committee, over the past few days the city has received on average between 1,300-1,800 returnees from abroad on a daily basis, putting a lot of pressure on the city.
“There is no room for complacency as the next two weeks would be a decisive period of the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak,” Phong told a meeting on March 23 reviewing the virus prevention work in the city.
Nguyen Tan Binh, Director of the HCM City Health Department, reported that March 22 alone saw 27 planes land at Tan Son Nhat airport and all passengers were then placed in quarantine. Some rooms were set up to quarantine high-risk groups aimed at preventing cross contamination.
The city is currently monitoring 1,526 cases who were said to have contacted the confirmed COVID-19 patients. The total number of suspected cases is 247, of whom 239 people have tested negative for the virus and the remaining 8 are awaiting the results.
