HCMC – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the competent agencies to tighten border control over people arriving from countries that have detected the new Omicron coronavirus variant to prevent the mutant strain from entering the country.
The ministries of Health, Foreign Affairs, Transport, Public Security and National Defense and other relevant agencies were asked to cooperate to fulfill the duty, according to a dispatch issued by the Government Office on November 29.
The Ministry of Health was tasked with keeping a close watch on the developments of the new variant and regularly contacting the World Health Organization to stay updated on the newly discovered strain timely.
Besides, the Government asked the ministry to develop effective anti-pandemic measures to respond to the variant, which is said to be more transmissible than the Delta variant, the local media reported.
The Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) was first detected in South Africa on November 24, with up to 32 mutations in the spike protein.
Several countries have detected cases of the new variant, thereby tightening border controls to prevent the spread of such a contagious variant.
