Official Dispatch No. 4519/UBND-VX dated December 31, 2021 on Procedures for management of quarantine for incoming passengers by People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City

To:

- Provincial Departments of Health;
- Provincial Departments of Information and Communications;
- People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and other urban/suburban districts;
- Southern Airports Authority;
- Tan son Nhat International Airport;
- Airlines.

Vietnam has recently reported that some passengers arriving in Vietnam have tested positive for the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2.

For the purposes of the Official Telegram No. 9406/CD-VPCP dated December 23, 2021 on intensifying vaccination and control of the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the Official Dispatch No. 10688/BYT-MT dated December 16, 2021 of the Ministry of Health prescribing COVID-19 prevention and control against incoming passengers, and the Official Dispatch No. 10737/BYT-DP dated December 17, 2021 of the Ministry of Health providing guidelines on monitoring and control of Omicron variant of COVID-19, and intensifying management and effectively performing COVID-19 control tasks, especially taking proactive measures for effectively managing the Omicron variant, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City hereby requests relevant organizations and individuals to strictly follow procedures for management of quarantine for incoming passengers and intensify surveillance to prevent chains of infection in the community./.

PP. CHAIRMAN
DEPUTY CHAIRMAN




Duong Anh Duc

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(Enclosed with the Official Dispatch No. 4519/UBND-VX dated December 31, 2021 of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City)

1. Regulated entities: persons entering Vietnam through Tan Son Nhat International Airport.

2. Quarantine in accommodation:

Accommodations include homes, hotels, motels, resorts, offices of representative missions, dorms or guest houses of production and trading establishments, etc. Such accommodations must meet quarantine requirements laid down in the Ministry of Health’s Official Dispatch No. 5599/BYT-MT dated July 14, 2021.

If the accommodation (home) fails to meet quarantine requirements, the incoming passenger shall be transferred to the concentrated quarantine facility as prescribed.

3. Procedures for quarantine management and responsibility to implement the Procedures

Step 1. Register “Personal QR code”

Incoming passengers are required to install and use PC-Covid application to create their “personal QR codes”. If an incoming passenger cannot use the PC-Covid application, he/she shall create “personal QR code" on Ho Chi Minh City COVID-19 safety information portal (https://antoan-covid.tphcm.gov.vn) (this QR code is consistent with the PC-Covid system).

Tan Son Nhat International Airport shall set up a specific area with adequate equipment and systems to facilitate incoming passengers’ creation of “personal QR codes” at the airport.

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Step 2. Test for SARS-CoV-2 upon arrival

Tan Son Nhat International Airport shall set up a specific SARS-CoV-2 test area and cooperate with international airlines in instructing incoming passengers to have SARS-CoV-2 tests at the airport and use their “personal QR codes” to provide information for the testing unit.

The testing unit shall do SARS-CoV-2 antigen-detecting rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT) and return test results to incoming passengers, and then input such test results into the CDS system as prescribed.

+ In case of positive test result: The incoming passenger shall undergo RT-PCR test. Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control shall be notified to cooperate with 115 Emergency Center of Ho Chi Minh City to transport the incoming passenger to the COVID-19 field hospital No. 12.

+ In case of negative test result: Tan Son Nhat International Airport and the relevant airline shall instruct the incoming passenger to continue with procedures at the checkpoint to leave the airport for their accommodation.

Tan Son Nhat International Airport shall assume responsibility to check test results and scan “personal QR codes” of incoming passengers to certify their leave for their accommodations.

Step 3. Transport incoming passengers to their accommodations

Passengers are required to strictly comply with the 5K Message during their transport from the checkpoint of entry to their accommodations.

Only the driver and incoming passengers are moved by the vehicle. Persons picking up incoming passengers are not allowed to be moved on the same vehicle with the incoming passengers (except foreign passengers who need interpreters).

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Step 4. Monitor and declare health conditions on a daily basis

Facilities that receive incoming passengers (hereinafter referred to as “receiving facilities”) shall create “location QR codes” on Ho Chi Minh City COVID-19 safety information portal (https://antoan-covid.tphcm.gov.vn).

Receiving facilities shall confirm their receipt of incoming passengers by means of scanning “personnel QR codes” of incoming passengers upon their arrival. Health declaration and certification of accommodation shall be made daily during the quarantine period.

Incoming passengers are required to make health declaration on PC-Covid application, strictly comply with the 5K Message (Face mask, Health declaration, Disinfection, Distance and No gathering) and confirm their accommodations.

Any abnormal signs or symptoms such as cough, fever, difficulty breathing, or sore throat, etc. must be promptly reported to the local medical station.

Period of quarantine at accommodation:

- Passengers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have recovered from COVID-19 shall self-monitor their health, not contact with other people and not leave their accommodations for at least 03 days after their arrival.

- Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated passengers shall self-quarantine at their accommodations for at least 07 days after their arrival.

- Passengers aged under 18 (hereinafter referred to as “minors”), passengers aged 65 and older (hereinafter referred to as “elderly passengers”), pregnant women, and persons with underlying medical conditions (who are not required to receive treatment at health facilities) may be quarantined together with their parents/caregivers (hereinafter referred to as “caregivers”). Such caregivers must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or proven to have recovered from COVID-19 and enter into statements on voluntary quarantine after having been explained about the risk of COVID-19 infection. They shall strictly comply with the same regulations on testing and COVID-19 prevention and control as incoming passengers.

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People's Committees of urban/suburban districts and Thu Duc City shall issue administrator accounts on Ho Chi Minh City COVID-19 safety information portal (https://antoan-covid.tphcm.gov.vn) to health centers of urban/suburban districts and Thu Duc City to serve their management of incoming passengers in their areas.

Health centers of urban/suburban districts and Thu Duc City shall use such accounts to manage lists of incoming passengers to be quarantined at accommodations and do SARS-CoV-2 tests with RT-PCR method for incoming passengers on N3, N7 days in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s Official Dispatch No. 10688/BYT-MT dated December 16, 2021.

- Passengers who have tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 shall have to continue monitoring their health until the end of 14-day period counting from their arrival.

- If a passenger has tested positive for COVID-19: The testing unit shall promptly notify Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control to transfer the sample of that passenger to Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City for genomic sequencing, and also notify the local Health center to transport that passenger to the COVID-19 field hospital No. 12 (if he/she is asymptomatic or has mild symptoms) or to Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases (if he/she has signs of respiratory failure)./.