Vietnam scraps Covid-19 medical declaration rule

It said the decision to stop collecting the declarations starting April 30 was made in the light of falling numbers of Covid-19 infections and deaths, along with high vaccination rates.

Over 96 percent of people aged 12 and above in the country have already been vaccinated, while vaccination of aged 5-11 is ongoing.

However, localities would still need to continue implementing measures to monitor the Covid-19 situation, ensuring early detection and handling of outbreaks.

A VnExpress survey of 8,493 readers late last month showed 97 percent agreed with the decision. The need for people entering the country to make medical declarations had already been scrapped since April 27.

Back in August 2020, the Ministry of Health had issued a protocol to contain the spread of Covid-19, telling people to wear masks, disinfect their hands frequently, keep a safe distance from each other, avoid crowds and complete health declarations. This became commonly known as the 5K protocol.

Falling Covid-19 figures in recent months had prompted calls for changes to the protocol.