Current Recommendations in the decisive phase for fight against COVID-19

This point of time is considered as decisive phase in controlling COVID-19 situation in Vietnam. The city needs united efforts of everybody to limit the spread in community and control COVID-19 timely.

1. Limit the spread in community

The Health Sector is implementing many drastic and thorough measures to localize and control the epidemic from spreading in the community. However, according to the experts, the pathogen may have appeared or may appear in certain places in the community. Following the directions of the Prime Minister, let us take many measures, including ones to increase social distancing:

* Limit crowd gathering. Stay home, go out only when needed.

* When leaving your home or coming to public places, wear a medical mask.

* Practice regular handwashing according to the instruction of the Health Sector.

* Keep your distance from other people. Over 2 meters is the best.

Illustration (Source: Internet)

2. People entering Vietnam from March 1, 2020

Illustration (Source: Internet)

Since March 14, Vietnam has organized concentrated isolation of all entry passengers from countries of Schengen, UK and Northern Ireland, China, South Korea and Iran. After that many more countries and from March 21, 2020, Vietnam has organized isolation of all entry passengers from countries and territories. Thus, before the regulation of isolating all entry passengers was implemented, some people who did not have to carry out concentrated isolation. In other words, they could be a potential source of transmission in the community because the majority of recently confirmed COVID-19 infections have come from these entry cases. Therefore, the Health Sector recommends people who entered Vietnam from March 1, 2020, and have not yet been centrally isolated, should take the following measures:

• Make medical declarations at https://tokhaiyte.vn
• Implement self-isolation at home, place of residence within 14 days from the date of entering Vietnam. For those who passed 14 days, continue restricting contact with other people.
• Always wear a mask; wash your hands often with soap or hand sanitizer solution and take other preventive measures.
• When having one of the symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, please contact the nearest health authority for advice and support.

People living in residential areas need to coordinate with local authorities to intensify supervision in their communities to mobilize relatives, neighbors and residence…the entry people who had not been under concentrated isolation according to the previous isolation regulations to comply with guidelines above.

Each of us should be an epidemic prevention soldier. We need to unite and follow the State’s recommendations to push back the epidemic.

All people entering Vietnam should immediately do four things below:

• Make medical declarations at https://tokhaiyte.vn
• Implement self-isolation at home, place of residence (if having yet to be concentratedly isolated) within 14 days from the date of entering Vietnam. For those who passed 14 days, continue restricting contact with other people.
• Always wear a mask; wash your hands often with soap or alcohol-based hand sanitizer and take other preventive measures.
• Contact the nearest health authority for advice and support.

Ho Chi Minh City Center for Diseases Control