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The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s protection measures aim to protect the safety of Vietnamese people and foreigners.

Vietnam’s foreign ministry has affirmed no bias in treating foreignersin the country, which is striving to contain the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Baoquocte

“Vietnam has taken a number of preventive measures against the pandemic due to the complexity of the situation to serve the first and foremost goal that is the safety of Vietnamese people and foreigners,” Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said in a statement released in Friday.

The government of Vietnam, in the spirit of humanity, has given care and support to both Vietnamese and foreigners in the country to ensure safety, healthcare, and treatment if necessary, Hang noted.

The spokesperson said Vietnam thanked countries and territories for their collaboration and support for Vietnamese citizens abroad, as well as treatment in case of infection.

“We hope that the spirit of humanity, fairness and no discrimination will be upheld all over the world to ensure all nationals live in safety and receive medical treatment. We hope that joint efforts will push back the pandemic,” Hang emphasized.

So far, Vietnam applies mandatory 14-day quarantine to people coming or traveling across the epidemic-hit areas regardless of Vietnamese or foreigners. But the government does not charge any cost in this period or coronavirus tests.

Earlier this week, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked local authorities at all levels to strictly deal with acts of discrimination against foreigners.

Weeks ago, Hanoi’s Party Chief Vuong Dinh Hue urged no discrimination against foreigners amid the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Vaccine passports – the future?, illustration photo, source: internet

At the end of December, thousands of Europeans received the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine after the company received authorisation in the EU. Since then, other countries such as the US, Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, India, and several Asian countries, including Vietnam, have also started to receive or order vaccines to prepare for mass vaccination programmes.

This has awakened optimism about an end to the pandemic and the idea of a vaccine passport.

A heated discussion

Some parts of the world, such as the Seychelles, Cyprus, and Romania, have begun to remove quarantine requirements for visitors who have been vaccinated. In early January, Denmark also announced that it would issue vaccine passports to citizens within the next three to four months.

To get digital vaccine passports, Danish citizens will have to declare their medical and vaccination status on a government-issued app. Owners of such passports will be able to return to Denmark without quarantine and receive access to bars, restaurants, and hotels.

Iceland became the first European nation to issue vaccine certificates in late January. While Greece also announced it will unveil a digital vaccination certificate for those who have received two doses of the vaccine, Israel recently announced that a so-called Green Badge will allow vaccinated people to go to restaurants, attend public events, and travel freely. Other countries that are currently issuing or waiting for vaccine passports include the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, and Sweden.

Despite being supported by several countries and seen as a necessary condition for freedom of movement, vaccine passports have received mixed reactions in many places. The UK, the first in the world to vaccinate people against COVID-19, had previously denied plans for vaccine passports to allow people to travel abroad, but they can ask for proof of vaccination in case they need to travel.

One of the reasons not to issue a vaccine passport is that COVID-19 vaccination is not compulsory in the UK, said MP Nadhim Zahawi. The EU is also divided over vaccine passports. Some, such as France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands, as well as organisations like the World Health Organization and the European Commission, also argued that vaccine passports do not ensure safe travel.

In France, Health Minister Olivier Véran has repeatedly said it is too early to discuss vaccination passports since fewer than 2.5 million French people have received the first dose and because it is unclear whether the vaccine prevents transmission.

Meanwhile, Germany also advised not to loosen many of the restrictions. To date, the 27 EU member states have only agreed on mutual recognition of COVID-19 test results. The introduction of vaccine passports remains a story of the future, especially as more new coronavirus variants are discovered. The European Commission says it will not be rushed into a decision on passports while only 3 per cent of Europeans have been vaccinated.

The US also expressed caution with vaccine passports as President Biden asked government agencies to evaluate the feasibility of linking coronavirus vaccine certificates with other vaccination documents and producing digital versions of them.

Possible resurrection?

Although controversies abound, governments and technology firms around the world are leaning towards using vaccine passports to recover the economy and revive the tourism and entertainment industries.

Some companies and tech groups like IBM have also started to develop smartphone applications where users can upload detailed information about their tests and vaccinations to create a digital health certificate or use QR codes to display their vaccination status to the authorities without disclosing sensitive information.

Zurab Pololikashvili, secretary general of the UN’s World Tourism Organization, has called on the world to apply vaccine passports on a larger scale as an indispensable element for the tourism industry’s recovery.

“One key element vital for the restart of tourism is consistency and harmonisation of rules and protocols regarding international travel,” he said in an email. “Evidence of vaccination, for example, through the coordinated introduction of what may be called ‘health passports’ can offer this. They can also eliminate the need for quarantine on arrival, a policy which is also standing in the way of the return of international tourism.”

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) supports vaccine passports and also piloted their digital application called IATA Travel Pass piloted on Singapore Airlines flights late last year. IATA said it could expand the programme to other destinations if the pilot is successful.

Singapore Airlines also plans to incorporate health certifications into a mobile app in mid-2021. Passengers who have tested for COVID-19 at clinics designated by the airline will be issued an electronic certificate with a QR code or a paper health certificate.

Some airlines, like Qantas, said they would make vaccine documentation mandatory on all flights while Gulf Air, Emirates, and Etihad will test a travel pass designed by the IATA.

In Vietnam, the first batch of vaccines was imported a few days ago as the first happy signal for reopening. Once the country is truly safe from the pandemic, ministries and departments will study to issue a passport similar to the vaccine passports.

However, tourism expert Truong Nam Thang, a member of tourism research projects of the Tourism Advisory Board and the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said that by December, the nation will temporarily achieve herd immunity in key economic and tourism cities. By June 2022, Vietnam hopes to reach herd immunity across the country.

Thus, it will not be until the end of the second quarter of 2022 that Vietnam can normalise international trade as well as gradually restore tourism and international travel.

The use of plastic bags and products in traditional markets and shops continues to plague Hanoi.

The second delivery will be made on February 26, and Malaysia will continue to receive deliveries every two weeks until it is completed, Science Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said in a virtual news conference.

Malaysia has secured 32 million doses from Pfizer/BioNTech.

Meanwhile, vaccine doses from China’s Sinovac Biotech are scheduled to be delivered in bulk on February 27, pending approval from local regulators, the official said.

Malaysia has imposed more lockdowns this year amid a fresh wave of coronavirus infections. The country has recorded 280,272 cases of COVID-19 and 1,051 deaths.

It aims to vaccinate at least 80 percent of its 32 million people within a year.

In Cambodia, the Ministry of Education has issued guidelines on strengthening measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 after Prime Minister Hun Sen confirmed on February 20 the third community outbreak in the country.

The Khmer Times cited the ministry as saying that education officials must continue to implement the standard operating procedures and suspend any gathering of over 20 people while school managers must report anyone involved with the “February 20 Community Incident” to the authorities.

However, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that there are no immediate plans to close schools or cancel events and other receptions as a result of the third community COVID-19 outbreak in Phnom Penh, calling on the people to obey the health measures issued by the ministry and the government.

Last month, Cambodia started the new academic year 2020-2021. All schools across the country opened after their previous closures due to COVID-19.

Cambodian authorities detected 32 new COVID-19 cases in Phnom Penh on February 20, mostly in Koh Pich (Diamond Island) of Phnom Penh and some apartment buildings near the Olympic stadium.

Initial information showed that the outbreak relates to some people escaping the quarantine site at Sokha Hotel to live in a number of apartment buildings.

Some apartment blocks in Phnom Penh, especially Koh Pich, N8 Club bar and nearby restaurants have been locked down.

He said the certificate will be issued in a month’s time and that the matter is being discussed with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to ensure that the document is also recognised by other countries.

Malaysia launched the first phase of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme from February 24 on prioritised groups. The second phase is scheduled for April.

On March3, Malaysia reported 1.745 new COVID-19 infections, raising the total cases to 305,880, with 1,148 deaths.

On the same day, the Philippines reported 1,783 new infections, bringing the total count to 582,223. The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) reported that death toll has increased to 12,389, while the number of recoveries has been 534,778. The DOH earlier confirmed that the country found six patients infected with new variants of SARS CoV-2 that was first detected in South Africa, along with 87 cases positive to the variants originated in the UK.

Also on March 3, Director General of the Department of Communicable Diseases Control under the Lao Ministry of Health Phonepaserd Sayamoungkhoun said that there are 2,212 people undertaking quarantine in concentrated sites across the country.

So Far, Laos has detected 45 COVID-19 cases, including 42 recoveries.

Meanwhile, Thailand is considering measures to prevent the spreading of COVID-19 during the upcoming traditional Songkran festival amid the falling number of infections.

Culture Minister Itthiphol Kunplome said on March 3 that his ministry supported the return of traditional and cultural activities that were part of the festival before the pandemic struck.

However, there must be strict disease control measures in place, including social distancing and limits on the number of people at venues where activities are planned, he said.

Songkran activities will help stimulate tourism and the economy, now that COVID-19 vaccines were available, he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said the government was considering what measures would need to be applied for the festival, to prevent Covid-19 from spreading again. Songkran is from April 13-15 this year.

As of March 3, Thailand had reported 26,108 COVID-19 infections with 84 deaths.