HCMC – The Hanoi City government has lifted quarantine requirement for people coming from high-risk areas, just two days after it was imposed and sparked controversy.
On November 18, the city’s Chairman Chu Ngoc Anh signed a decision on new regulations on the supervision of people coming to the city from other localities.
According to the new decision, people that have been fully vaccinated against Covid or recovered from the disease are not required to self-isolate at home when they come to the city from areas where the Covid situation remains complicated such as HCMC, Binh Duong, Long An, and Dong Nai.
However, they still need to monitor their health for seven days after arrival, take Covid polymerase chain reaction tests on the first day, and strictly comply with Covid infection prevention and control measures. If they develop symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, or loss of taste, they must immediately contact the local health authorities.
People who have got only one vaccine shot have to self-isolate for seven days, test for Covid on the first and seventh days after arrival, and monitor their health for another seven days.
Those who have not received any Covid vaccine shot have to self-isolate for 14 days and take Covid tests on the, first, seventh and 14th days, and monitor their health for another 14 days.
Hanoi earlier imposed seven-day self isolation on people from high- and medium-risk areas, including HCMC and several southern provinces. The regulation forced many people to cancel their travel plans to the capital city, while experts said it was not suitable with Vietnam’s new strategy of living safely with Covid-19.
Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Huy Nga, former director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said the regulation went against the Government’s policy of facilitating travel and trade to help the economy recover.
