Close unnecessary services, socialize quarantine facilities
On the afternoon of March 23, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc chaired a meeting of the Government Standing Committee on Covid-19 prevention and control.
Accordingly, the next two weeks are decisive, so the Prime Minister emphasized that all levels, sectors, and the political system must make great efforts. "If we are already determined and strict, we must be even more determined and strict, and must uphold the spirit of responsibility before the Party and the people."
The Prime Minister requested the closure of unnecessary services to minimize large gatherings; places of worship should not gather in large numbers and asked localities to strictly remind about this issue.
Strictly control the spread of disease from outside; domestic flights and railways must also be checked, and passenger cars also need to have measures to prevent disease transmission.
At the same time, the Prime Minister agreed to expand socialization and voluntary contributions in centralized quarantine conditions. Priority will be given to accommodation facilities and hotels for paid quarantine for foreigners with diplomatic and official passports, and experts working on important projects in Vietnam.
Only 233 Vietnamese people returned to Noi Bai airport on March 23
On March 23, Noi Bai airport only received 233 passengers from 3 international flights instead of 276 passengers according to the booking data previously announced by the airlines, all of whom were Vietnamese, and were all taken to centralized quarantine.
"Most Vietnamese people abroad have returned home since the previous days. The government has temporarily suspended entry for foreigners, so international airlines have also stopped operating due to the lack of passengers," said an official at Noi Bai airport.
Previously on March 22, Noi Bai airport received 1,712 passengers, all of whom were Vietnamese, returning from international flights. All 1,727 passengers were taken to centralized quarantine.
stop bringing Vietnamese citizens abroad to Tan Son Nhat
The Ministry of Transport has just requested the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to notify all airlines to stop carrying Vietnamese citizens from abroad to Tan Son Nhat Airport, from 0:00 on March 25 until March 31, 2020.
The reason is that on March 21, the Government Office announced the Prime Minister's conclusion requesting: to continue to promptly, maximally and gradually limit flights carrying passengers from abroad to Vietnam, including foreign airlines (because it can easily lead to overloading of quarantine areas).
To implement this directive, and because quarantine areas in Ho Chi Minh City are no longer able to receive more people returning from abroad, the Ministry of Transport has requested the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam to implement the above regulation.
Syria detects first case of infection
According to the Syrian Health Minister on March 23, the first Covid-19 patient in this Middle Eastern country is a 20-year-old woman who recently entered the country and had no symptoms. "But because she came from an epidemic area, we had to quarantine her. Subsequent testing showed that she was positive for the virus," Mr. Al-Yaziji added.
India suspends all domestic flights
India's civil aviation ministry announced on March 23 that it would suspend all domestic commercial flights from midnight on March 25 in an effort to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Cargo flights are exempt.
India has also previously announced that it will stop accepting all international flights to the country. According to the Economic Times of India, to limit travel, India has also banned interstate railways, buses and other public transport.
South Africa becomes the epicenter of the pandemic in Africa, declares a national state of disaster
The total number of infections in South Africa rose to 402 on March 23, becoming the country with the highest number of Covid-19 infections on the Black Continent. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa had to declare a national state of disaster and apply tough measures such as travel bans to limit the spread of the disease.
Reuters news agency said that South African troops are preparing to be deployed to all provinces of the country. The deployment could last up to 3 months if necessary.
The Government directive also allows soldiers to arrest those who violate the Government's anti-epidemic decrees.
More than 4,800 Italian doctors and nurses infected with COVID-19
Figures released by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) on March 22 showed that more than 4,800 medical staff in the country tested positive for the coronavirus while treating patients.
This represents about 8% of the total number of coronavirus cases in Italy. As of March 24, the total number of infections in Italy was more than 63,000, an increase of 8% compared to March 23. This is the lowest increase in percentage terms since the epidemic spread rapidly in Italy on February 21, according to the Italian Civil Protection Agency; the number of recoveries in Italy increased from 7,024 to 7,432.
According to the Italian Doctors Association, at least 18 doctors have lost their lives while treating Covid-19 patients, most of whom worked in Lombardy - the epicenter of Italy.
He decided to lock down the whole place.
The UK will be in lockdown from the evening of March 23 (local time). "From the evening of March 23, I must give a very simple instruction to the British people: You must stay at home," Prime Minister Johnson said in a televised message, instead of just through the usual daily press conferences.
Prime Minister Johnson had initially resisted imposing a full lockdown despite other European countries doing so, but he eventually reversed his decision as it became clear that the UK's health system was becoming overwhelmed.
A lockdown that will stop all non-essential travel for Brits will be in place for at least three weeks. Police will break up gatherings and have the power to fine individuals who do not comply with the new rules.
Russia uses smartphones to monitor suspected infected people
Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on March 23 asked relevant agencies within 5 days to develop software to help track and monitor people at high risk of coronavirus infection in Russia.
Accordingly, people will be sent notifications to their phones if they come into close contact with an infected person. The regional disease control center will also receive information about these cases. The Kremlin stressed that the country's law allows for such a surveillance system to exist.
The US increased by nearly 10,000 infections in one day
As of the morning of March 24, the number of infections in the US had increased by 9,883, bringing the total to 43,449. The US is currently the country with the third highest number of infections in the world, after China and Italy.
At the same time, the Governor of New Jersey said that the state plans to release "low-risk" prisoners still serving sentences in the state to limit the spread of Covid-19. This is also the first state in the US to make this move.
Source: Government Information
