Health ministry proposes to halt COVID-19 testing requirements for arrivals

Passengers wait to do immigration procedures at Nội Bài International Airport in Hà Nội. — VNA/- VnExpress News Photo 

HÀ NỘI — The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has proposed to temporarily suspend COVID-19 test requirements for passengers entering Việt Nam by air.

Director of the ministry’s Preventive Medicine Department Phan Trọng Lân told Sức Khoẻ & Đời sống (Health & Life) online newspaper, the ministry’s official mouthpiece, that the ministry has asked for feedback from ministries and agencies and they have basically agreed with the proposal.

It was made following the Resolution 128 of the Government about safe and flexible adaptation and effective control of COVID-19 as well as in line with the situation of the pandemic, vaccination results, and the country’s ability to cope with the pandemic.

Around 50 per cent of countries and territories in the world have stopped the testing requirements for arrivals. 

“The move is also made in conformity with other countries and international organisations and to create unity between technical and professional units relating to the application of pandemic prevention and control measures for arrivals. It will be applied flexibly following each period of the pandemic,” he said.

Under the current regulations, passengers entering Việt Nam are required to show proof of negative test results for SARS-CoV-2 (by RT-PCR/RT-LAMP method) within 72 hours before departure.

Earlier, the Ministry of Health asked localities to stop requiring arrivals via all border gates to make health declarations from April 27 and to do COVID-19 testing after entering the country.

The ministry also ordered municipal/provincial people’s committees on the temporary suspension of domestic heath declaration requirements from April 30. 

According to the health ministry, COVID-19 has been put well under control across the country, with caseload and fatalities down significantly. The country recorded 2,758 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday. It has so far administered over 216 million doses of vaccines. — – VnExpress News