The information was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a meetingof the national steering committee for the SARS-CoV-2-caused acute respiratorydisease prevention and control in Hanoi on March 2. According to the steering committee, Vietnam has been well controlling thedisease with no new cases recorded since February 13. Son Loi commune innorthern Vinh Phuc province’s Binh Xuyen district, which reported 11 out of the16 confirmed infection cases, has been quarantined for 20 days, and theblockage is scheduled to be lifted at 0:00 am on March 4. However, Dam, who is also head of the steering committee, called for thecontinued vigilance to actively cope with the possible appearance of newinfected cases. According to the Deputy PM, the source of the virus is not from only China asbefore, but also from the Republic of Korea (RoK), Iran, Italy and more than 60other countries and territories across the world. Therefore, it is difficult to detect the source of infection, as Vietnam cannotclose its door to the world, Dam said, stressing the need to anticipate everysituation, carry out necessary measures and stay vigilant in case newinfections occur. "Whether the source of infection is discovered or not, it is important toquickly quarantine and treat the infected patients and those with close contactto prevent the disease from spreading", he stressed. For Vietnamese people returning from the RoK, the Deputy PM asked for strictconcentrated quarantine, and required punishment against those with wrongconsciousness and dishonest declarations. Regarding Koreans entering Vietnam, he asked relevant agencies to proactivelyarrange airports to receive flights from the RoK. Korean citizensholding diplomatic passports, official passports or ordinary passports who haveimportant business in socio-economic development and maintaining relationsbetween the two countries will be considered for entering Vietnam if they meetspecific requirements, Dam said. The Deputy PM requested the Ministries of Health, and Science and Technology tospeed up the development of test kits for mass production as more than 10,000people are being quarantined in Vietnam. According to the Health Ministry, as of 11:30 on March 2, 89,068 infected caseswere confirmed in 67 nations and territories. The world also recorded 3,046fatalities, including 2,913 in China, 22 in the RoK and 54 in Iran, 34 in Italyand 12 in Japan./.