Deputy Prime Minister and head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control Vu Duc Dam

He made the announcement at a meeting of the committee in Hanoi.

He asked the Ministry of Information and Communications, Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security and all network providers to plan and prepare technological tools so the declarations can be done online across the country.

The Deputy PM also requested measures to be applied to prevent Vietnamese citizens from leaving the countries and travelling to countries where COVID-19 infection has been reported, and advised citizens to only travel abroad when absolutely necessary.

Compulsory electronic health declarations for all passengers entering Vietnam started on March 7 upon Deputy PM Dam’s request.

The declarations could be made on the website http://www.suckhoetoandan.vn/khaiyte, or at the airports before boarding.

As of March 8, Vietnam had 30 confirmed cases of infections with 16 having recovered.

The Hanoi People’s Committee on the same day proposed for an announcement of a COVID-19 epidemic in the city.

Statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that by March 8, Hanoi has four COVID-19 patients, and one suspected case in Ba Dinh district.

Four COVID-19 patients included N.H.N, 27, who was staying on Truc Bach street in Ba Dinh district and was defined as the 17th COVID-19 patients of Vietnam, a 27-year-old man – N.’s driver, a 64-year-old woman – N.’s aunt, and a 61-year-old man – seating on the same row with N. on her flight from London to Hanoi.

Accordingly, a total of 130 people came into contact with N., and 226 others with people who had contact with N.

The city authorities have quarantined sections of Truc Bach street containing 66 households with 189 people living there.

The Hong Ngọc Hospital, where N. had come for health examination, was sterilised.

People had close contact with the patients, and those who have come to contact with people having close contact with the patients, are in quarantine.

Twenty samples taken from people having close contact with N. showed negative results, and another is waiting for test result.

The authorities have also investigated 217 people who were on the same flight with N. It was the Vietnam Airlines flight VN0054 from London that landed at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi at 4.30am on March 2. They included 21 people in business class, 180 others in economy class and 16 crew members.

Now 155 out of 180 passengers in economy class and all 21 people in business class have been found. Sixty are in Hanoi.

In another development, the MoH on March 8 confirmed Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung had tested negative to COVID-19.

Earlier some rumours on social network said that he was tested positive to the disease after being on the same flight with N.

The MoH said that his samples were tested in two laboratories reaching national norms and World Health Organisation (WHO)’s norms, and the results were negative.

Now he is in quarantine and under close supervision in stable condition.

Earlier, Dung and other experts from the Ministry of Planning and Investment were on the same business class with N./.

Compulsory e-health declaration for all passengers entering Vietnam

The Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAAV) has asked airlines to inform all passengers on the requirement to fill in electronic health declaration forms before boarding flights to Vietnam, starting from 6:00 am on March 7.

VN health official stresses transparency about virus threat

Vietnam will never hide any information about the situation of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country, a health official stressed.