Hanoi (VNA) - The COVID-19 pandemic has been well controlled in Vietnam,but risks of an outbreak are still present, especially with the Tet (Lunar New Year) holidayapproaching, leading experts to warn that people need to strictly abide bypreventive regulations.

Associateprofessor Tran Dac Phu, senior advisor to the Vietnam Emergency OperationsCentre, told Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi)newspaper that the current risk of infection was mainly due to a lack of strictcontrol of entry and lax quarantining.

Eachministry, branch and locality must continue to seriously implement pandemicprevention and control measures, he said, adding that along with the strictcontrol and prevention of illegal entry, local authorities and police need toclosely monitor border areas, especially land borders.

Alongcalling on provincial and municipal health departments to strictly implementCOVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, Minister of Health NguyenThanh Long urged the entire health sector to consider pandemic prevention animmediate and long-term central task.

"Tocelebrate Tet in a healthy andsafe manner, people should implement the pandemic prevention and controlmeasures set by the health sector. Border provinces need to implement strongmeasures to prevent illegal entry, raise vigilance and fight signs ofneglect," he said.

There areonly about 20 days until Tet, somore people are out and about shopping. To ensure safety, Tran Van Chung,deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said that inspectors wouldfocus on checking food businesses’ COVID-19 prevention and control insupermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls and markets. Those that fail tocomply with pandemic preventive measures would be penalised.

Chung toldfood producers and traders to increase hygiene and disinfection, measure bodytemperatures, put antiseptic hand sanitiser in a convenient location, guidecustomers to wear masks, wash hands with antiseptic and refuse to servecustomers who do not wear masks.

Peopleworking in customer contact positions should wear masks properly, limithandshakes and keep a distance of about one metre when in contact withcustomers. People should not enter service areas if they show signs of fever orcough, difficulty breathing, fatigue or are in home quarantine following therequest of health authorities.

Nguyen KhacHien, Director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said the number of peopletravelling during Tet was verylarge, so at bus stations managers must strengthen measures to fight thepandemic.

Officers,employees and passengers entering and leaving stations must conductsterilisation and wear masks to ensure safety. Bus stations must also arrangesecurity forces to closely monitor regulation implementation.

At medicalexamination and treatment establishments, it is necessary to review the entiremedical examination and treatment process and strictly comply with the healthministry's pandemic prevention regulations.

“The simplebut most effective ‘weapon’ to fight the pandemic is the people’s awareness,for their family, for the community and the society," said Hien./.