Aircraft of Vietnamese carriers (Photo: cafef.vn)Hanoi (VNA) - The Ministry of Transport has asked airlines to stop carrying passengers to Vietnam as from 00:00 of April 1 until the end of April 15 as part of measures to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.
In an urgent dispatch to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the ministry stated that the suspension will not be applied to those entering Vietnam for diplomatic and official purposes, for participation in major diplomatic events, as well as to experts, business managers, highly skilled workers, and those receiving entry approval of the national committee on COVID-19 prevention and control.
On March 29, the Transport Ministry also asked the CAAV and carriers to limit domestic flights from Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City to other cities and provinces to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 during the time from March 30 to April 15.
Domestic airlines are allowed to transport passengers with a frequency of one flight a day on certain routes, including Hanoi-HCM City-Hanoi, Hanoi-Da Nang/Phu Quoc-Hanoi; HCM City-Da Nang/Phu Quoc-HCM City.
“In special cases when there is a need to transport passengers from local airports to Hanoi and HCM City and vice versa, airlines may ask the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam’s permission in each specific case,” the ministry said.
Airlines are also asked to strictly adhere to the Ministry of Health’s regulations on the isolation of foreign flight crews and mandatory electronic health declarations by passengers before boarding, as well as other preventive measures.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued a range of stringent social distancing measures, including asking people to stay at home and banning gatherings of more than two people in public.
The order will apply nationwide for 15 days, starting April 1 in order to limit the spread of COVID-19.
“The principle is that each family isolates itself from other families, one village from other villages, one commune from other communes, one province from other provinces," the directive said.
The Vietnamese Government has decided to suspend cross-border activities of individuals at main and secondary border gates, and trails in border areas sharing with Cambodia and Laos from April 1 as part of measures to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19./.
VNA
