In their latest message, the two diplomats affirmed that as non-essential businesses and shops are now temporarily closed, locals and expatriates alike play a vital role in stopping this outbreak.

“Social distancing is what we must all do,” Gareth stressed, calling on people to keep a minimum distance of 2 metres from others.

He also recommended people to stay at home as much as possible and wear face masks if going out.

UK citizens in Vietnam were also requested to respect the law and Vietnamese cultural norms to avoid getting fined or punished and “show that you’re playing your part in helping to tackle this global pandemic”.

“We are very fortunate to live and work in Vietnam, we should not expect to be treated differently from local people,” the ambassador added.

71-year-old British man with COVID-19 treated successfully by Hue hospital

A doctor gives advice to the British man

A 71-year-old British man, who is the 49th COVID-19 patient recorded in Vietnam, has been treated successfully, the Hue Central Hospital in Thua Thien-Hue province announced on March 31.

The man travelled to Vietnam on Flight VN0054 on March 2. He has been quarantined from March 8 and become the second patient treated successfully by the hospital.

During the treatment, the patient did not have fever, cough and shortness of breath, and was treated with blood pressure. He expressed his hope that in the next days, when his wife also fully recovers, they will be able to come back to their home country.

At present, the Hue Central Hospital is treating two COVID-19 patients, both of them British.

Vietnamese Embassy in Belarus works on COVID-19 countermeasures

The Vietnamese Embassy in Belarus has prepared scenarios and measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ambassador Pham Hai.

The diplomat said his embassy has taken precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of staff at Vietnamese representative agencies in the country, in line with instructions from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The embassy has updated the Vietnamese community on the developments of the disease and preventive measures, Hai added, saying that although local residents are not in the habit of wearing masks, the embassy has still advised Vietnamese to use them in public places.

It also asked Vietnamese students in the country to stay calm and united, and keep in touch with the representative agencies.

They are recommended to limit movements and not to fly home in order to prevent transmission and getting stuck at airports due to flight cancellations, Hai said.

Belarus has recorded 94 COVID-19 cases so far, with no fatalities. Since the first case was detected on February 27, the Belarusian Government has employed precautionary measures, including a 14-day quarantine period.

The country has conducted nearly 24,000 COVID-19 tests, and has been lauded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the 10 countries with the largest number of tests per share of population.

Given the fast spread of the disease worldwide, the embassy will continue keeping a close watch on the situation, providing relevant information for the Vietnamese community, and giving them recommendations in an effort to minimise the impact of the pandemic on their health and safety, the ambassador said./. VNA