On Wednesday the 9th of December, Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam announced that fully-vaccinated travellers can isolate themselves at home or at an accommodation of their choice for a specific period. 

This will remove the current need for international travellers to quarantine in centralised facilities. Unvaccinated travellers on the other hand will continue to serve 14-day quarantines in centralised facilities. The Ministry of Health will need to issue the new guidelines no later than the 15th of December, according to Deputy DM Vu Duc Dam.

Vietnamese nationals in masks and protective clothes boarded a direct flight from the US back to Viet Nam
Vietnamese nationals in masks and protective clothes boarded a direct flight from the US back to Viet Nam earlier in December 2021 // Photo on VNA/VNS 

‘Vietnam is in different circumstances than before’ says Dam, noting that despite the rising number of cases the country has been able to contain the novel coronavirus and the vaccination rate has been rising.

To date, more than 1.35 million cases have been reported and 1.03 million have recovered. So far 55.5 million people have been fully vaccinated.

According to an official from the Civil Aviation Authority, Vietnam has been tapping into the ‘vaccine passport’ systems of other countries to access travellers’ vaccine status prior to them booking their flights. This ensures that non-fully-vaccinated individuals can only purchase tickets after they have registered their stay at a quarantine facility in Vietnam. 

Passengers are seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport
Passengers are seen at Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City, May 2021 // Photo by /Huu Khoa / VnExpress

Currently, fully-vaccinated travellers who present a negative PCR test are required to quarantine in a designated facility for seven days and self-monitor their health for an additional seven days. The same regulation applies to those who have recovered from the novel coronavirus (6 months or less).

Dam said the Transport Ministry and aviation authorities need to work on resuming international flights though concerns have been raised about Vietnam’s ability to contain the pandemic especially with the onset of the new Omnicron variant. 

Source: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/no-centralized-quarantine-for-vaccinated-travelers-deputy-pm-4400519.html

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