Religious communities asked to join hands in COVID-19 combat
Religious communities in Vietnam have been asked to step up COVID-19 prevention and control measures amid complex developments of the pandemic around the world.
Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam province. Many places of worships have been asked to suspend mass gatherings as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – Religious communities in Vietnam havebeen asked to step up COVID-19 prevention and control measures amid complexdevelopments of the pandemic around the world.
Head of the Government’s Committee for ReligiousAffairs Vu Chien Thang said the committee has called on leaders of 43 religiousorganisations and the boards for religious affairs of provinces and citiesnationwide to seriously comply with the Prime Minister’s direction as well aslocal authorities’ guidance to curb the spread of the disease.
He noted the committee requested the CatholicChurch in Vietnam to step up preventive measures like suspending or cancellingmass rituals, meetings and pilgrimages while taking actions to protect thecommunity’s health if there are any followers with fever and cough symptoms.
President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference ofVietnam Nguyen Chi Linh affirmed that dioceses across the country have been requestednot to gather followers in crowds at churches and disinfect some places ofworship that attract a large number of foreign visitors.
Meanwhile, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha haveordered temples to halt festivals and crowded training courses, encouragedfollowers to wear face masks and wash hands before visiting pagodas, anddistributed leaflets with disease-related information to monks, nuns andfollowers.
Other religious organisations and sects likethose of Protestantism, Islam, Baha’i Faith, Hoahaoism, Caodaism have alsosuspended major activities, provided face masks and hand sanitizer tofollowers, worked to disseminate precise information about the disease,according to Thang.
The official noted from February 27 to March 1,an Islamic event was held at Seri Petaling Mosque in Kuala Lumpur of Malaysia,gathering about 16,000 Muslims from some countries, including Vietnam.
He cited the Malaysian Ministry of Health assaying that as of March 14, this country had found some 4,900 participants inthe event, more than 1,600 of whom have shown respiratory infection symptoms.
Some 90 Muslims from the provinces of An Giang,Tay Ninh, Ninh Thuan and Dong Nai and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam were reportedto have taken part in this event, and one of them in Ninh Thuan was tested positivefor SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Thang added the Committee for Religious Affairshas requested authorities and the representative boards of Muslim communitiesin those localities to review the people who joined the event in Malaysia andinstruct them to self-quarantine, make health declarations and visit healthcareestablishments for testing./.
Since March 15, aside from having their body temperature checked, all people coming from Europe to Vietnam must also have their samples taken for COVID-19 testing right at airports before moving to quarantine centres.
Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh has affirmed that Vietnam, as a leading garment exporter, is able to meet demand for face masks of people in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.
The Health Department of Ho Chi Minh City on March 17 officially put into operation a 300-bed hospital specialized in treating acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) in Can Gio district.
Several provinces and cities across the country have temporarily closed tourist sites to prevent the spread of the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).
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The strategic product, managed and operated by the Vietnam News Agency Digital Media Centre (VNA Media), is an official channel for popularising the Party and State’s information and documents as well as delivering mainstream and trustworthy news to both domestic and international audiences through various kinds of multimedia formats.
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The total investment exceeded 319 billion VND (12.2 million USD), including over 261 billion VND from the state budget and 57.5 billion VND mobilised from businesses, organisations, and individuals.
Tam Chuc Pagoda in Ha Nam province. Many places of worships have been asked to suspend mass gatherings as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 (Photo: VNA) 
