HCMC – Travel agencies in areas basically safe from Covid-19 can now operate at full capacity, according to the guidelines recently issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Travel agencies allowed to resume operations based on the Covid-19 situation
According to the guidelines on safely and flexibly adapting to Covid-19 in the sectors of culture, sports and tourism, travel agencies in regions with a low or moderate risk of transmission can operate at full capacity.
Meanwhile, travel agencies in high-risk regions can operate at 50% capacity. Besides, they are allowed to operate tours for groups of less than 25 tourists, while buses transporting tourists can use less than 50% of their seats.
Nonessential services such as dance clubs, bars, karaoke, massage and video game parlors, barber shops and beauty salons have to comply with the anti-pandemic measures of the local authorities.
Lodging facilities have to comply with the quarantine and anti-pandemic measures of the local health authorities and operate at no more than 50% capacity.
Travel agencies in extremely high-risk regions are banned from organizing tours and indoor events with more than 20 participants.
Lodging facilities and restaurants can operate at no more than 30% capacity and buses transporting tourists should use less than 50% of their seats.
Nonessential services such as dance clubs, bars, karaoke, massage, and video game parlors, barber shops and beauty salons have to comply with the anti-pandemic measures of the local authorities.
Travel agencies must register for Covid-safety assessment via http://safe.tourism.com.vn.
Travel agencies and tourists in all regions still have to follow the Covid-19 safety protocols such as wearing masks, washing hands , filing health declarations and keeping a safe distance from each other.
The Ministry of Health last week issued guidelines on specific criteria for four Covid-19 transmission risk levels—low, moderate, high and extremely high—as stated in the Government’s Resolution 128 on safely and flexibly living with the pandemic.
According to the guidance, there are three criteria to assess the pandemic transmission risk: the number of community-infected cases, the vaccination rate and the treatment capacity.
As for the first criterion, there are four levels of the number of community-infected cases out of 100,000 residents per week in line with the World Health Organization’s guidelines: fewer than 20, from 20 to fewer than 50, from 50 to fewer than 150 and from 150, corresponding to low-risk, moderate-risk, high-risk and extremely-high-risk areas, respectively.
Restrict Covid-19 testing of tourists
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said only tourists that develop symptoms such as fever, cough, fatigue, sore throat and shortness of breath will have to be tested.
Besides, suspected cases from high-risk areas and those from extremely high-risk and quarantined areas will have to get tested.
Results of both PCR and rapid tests will be accepted and valid for 72 hours.
