Hanoi (VNA) - As Lunar New Year (ꦓTet), the most important festival in Vietnam's calendar, inches closﷺer, most people need to travel, either to return to their hometowns or for tourism. Their prime concern is whether their destinations are applying quarantine measures on those coming from pandemic-hit areas.

No red-zone province

The National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control said that by now the pandemic has been basically brought under control all over the country. All localities have shifted to a state of safe, flexible adaptation and effective control of the COVID-19 under Resolution 128/NQ-CP of the Government. The latest statistics from the Ministry of Health show that there are 33 provinces and cities are placed in the green zone (level 1); 24 in the yellow zone (Level 2); and the remaining seven in the orange zone (Level 3). There are none in the red zone. The 33 localities in the green zone are; An Giang, Binh Duong, Binh Thuan, Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Cao Bang, Ca Mau, Ha Giang, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Ho Chi Minh City, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Long An, Lao Cai, Lang Son, Nghe An, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Ninh, Soc Trang, Son La, Tuyen Quang, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Tien Giang, Dien Bien, Yen Bai, Dong Nai, and Dong Thap. Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s biggest metropolis, has remained in the green zone for three consecutive weeks. The 24 localities belonging to the yellow zone are; Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Bac Lieu, Ben Tre, Can Tho, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Gia Lai, Hoa Binh, Ha Tinh, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Hau Giang, Khanh Hoa, Lam Dong, Nam Dinh, Ninh Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, Thanh Hoa, Vinh Phuc, Da Nang, Dak Lak, and Dak Nong. And the remaining six in the orange zone are Binh Phuoc, Binh Dinh, Thua Thien - Hue, Tra Vinh, Tay Ninh and Vinh Long. By now, vaccination against the COVID-19 has reached a right rate: 100 percent of people aged over 18 have their first shot, 95.6 percent the second, and 18.6 percent the third. For children in the 12-17 age group, 94.1 percent of them have got the first shot and 82.2 percent the second. According to Associate Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Huong from the Ministry of Health, residents in areas of Level 4 will not need any medical quarantine when they come back to their hometowns for Tet, except for cases that are under health watch.

5K message strict implementation, COVID-19 map frequent visit

Currently, around 15,000 new cases of COVID-19 a day are being reported in most localities across the country. The health ministry forecasts that in the time to come, more cases will be reported as the need for travel during the Tet holiday and the 2022 spring festival season is posing a potential danger of infection in the community, including from Omicron and other variants. That is why the ministry has sent a document to the People’s Committees of the provinces and cities on strengthening the pandemic fight in the coming time. According to Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, localities should strictly implement Circular 357 of the health ministry, facilitating the return of people to their home towns across the country without any restrictions, and encouraging them to return to work right after the end of their holiday. The Ministry of Health has also asked the People’s Committees to guide people to strictly implement the 5K message and watch their own health. As for the foreigners entering Vietnam, the Ministry of Health on January 26 sent a document to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, National Defence, Public Security, and Transport and the People’s Committees on the facilitation for them on the occasion of Tet 2022. To know which level their residence belongs to, people should visit ./.