All spring festivals in 2020 have been officially suspended.

On February 3rd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a directive from Minister Nguyen Ngoc Thien regarding strengthening measures to prevent and control the acute respiratory disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus during festivals, cultural events, and visits to scenic spots.

Accordingly, the Ministry requested the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-governed cities to direct the suspension of all festivals, including those already inaugurated, in localities where an epidemic has been declared. The Minister also requested the People's Committees of localities to suspend all activities at historical and cultural sites and scenic spots, except for those performing assigned tasks, in order to avoid large gatherings of people.

Minister Thien requested that the People's Committees of localities strengthen inspection, supervision, and handling of violations, if any, regarding the implementation of the Prime Minister's Directives and Official Telegrams, and the Ministry's documents and official telegrams on these matters.

On February 2nd, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed and issued Official Dispatch No. 156/CD-TTg on strengthening the prevention and control of acute respiratory disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus.

In particular, the Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to strengthen inspections to ensure the complete cancellation of festivals that have not yet commenced, significantly reduce the scale of festivals in localities, and completely cancel festivals that have already commenced in localities where an outbreak has been declared.

The People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities require people to wear face masks, increase disinfection and sterilization at crowded places, and limit the organization of meetings and conferences with large numbers of participants.

My Tong