Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 2 emphasisedboth the requirement for no treatment discrimination against those who havegone through regions hit by COVID-19 to Vietnam and the need to step upquarantine, saying it is a useful measure to control the epidemic.

Speakingat a meeting between permanent Cabinet members and the national steeringcommittee for COVID-19 prevention and control in Hanoi, the leader also askedthe committee and agencies to stay vigilant and take drastic actions againstthe epidemic.

Protectingpeople’s life and health is the leading task at this time, he said, noting thatpublic health must be ensured even at the expense of some economic benefits inthe short term, given the worldwide spread of the disease.

“Thisis the highest requirement from the Prime Minister, and Party and State leadersto agencies and localities,” he stressed.

PMPhuc also ordered more equipment in service of the combat, restriction of tripsto and from virus-affected areas and intensification of the communication workto raise public awareness of the epidemic.

TheAssociation of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s spirit of “cohesive andresponsive” should be carried forward in the fight against COVID-19, he said,calling for joint efforts of individuals, organisations and localities in thisregard.

Asfor the huge losses facing tourism, aviation and other sectors, the PM pledgedthat the Government will roll out specific monetary and fiscal measures andother incentives to facilitate production and business activities. He alsocalled for enhanced online transactions to prevent the epidemic.

Atthe meeting, the committee reported that from February 13 to 12:00 on March 2,no new COVID-19 cases had been recorded in Vietnam. Currently, there have been115 suspected cases that are being quarantined.

Thosewho come from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Iran and Italy which areexperiencing the alarming spread of the virus are quarantined for 14 days, thecommittee said, adding that it has warned people against travelling to thecountries.

Atthe same time, the committee asked relevant agencies at airports to enhancecoordination to speed up entry procedures, thus swiftly conducting medicalquarantine.

OnMarch 2, the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Hanoi’s outskirtsdistrict of Dong Anh allowed 30 Vietnamese citizens who returned from China’sWuhan city to go home after a 21-day quarantine.

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam announced that Vietnam will unilaterally stop granting visa-free entry to all Italian citizens from 0:00 am on March 3, amid fears over the spread of the epidemic as the number of infected cases is rising rapidly in the European country.

According to the Deputy PM, the source of the virus is not from only China as before, but also from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Iran, Italy and more than 60 other countries and territories across the world.

Therefore, it is difficult to detect the source of infection, as Vietnam cannot close its door to the world, Dam said, stressing the need to anticipate every situation, carry out necessary measures and stay vigilant in case new infections occur.

"Whether the source of infection is discovered or not, it is important to quickly quarantine and treat the infected patients and those with close contact to prevent the disease from spreading", he stressed.

He called for the continued vigilance to actively cope with the possible appearance of new infected cases.

The Deputy PM requested the Ministries of Health, and Science and Technology to speed up the development of test kits for mass production as more than 10,000 people are being quarantined in Vietnam.

According to the Health Ministry, as of 11:30 on March 2, 89,068 infected cases were confirmed in 67 nations and territories. The world also recorded 3,046 fatalities, including 2,913 in China, 22 in the RoK and 54 in Iran, 34 in Italy and 12 in Japan./.