Opening to international visitors is associated with the threat from the Omicron strain, so the tourism industry needs to be sure, prepare well and self-innovate before actually opening.
That was the online speech of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam during the national conference "Vietnam's tourism - recovery and development", on the afternoon of December 25 in Nghe An. Previously, Deputy Director General of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Ha Van Sieu, said that it is necessary to quickly open the whole area, from land border gates to flights, the diplomatic branch must also step in to welcome tourists.
The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized: "Opening and closing is more dangerous than preparing and opening with certainty. In the coming time, the main goal is still for Vietnam to well implement epidemic prevention and control measures. The most important thing is to speed up the rate of Covid-19 vaccination with the 3rd dose for the whole population, widely deploy treatment drugs, and prevent the threat from the new strain of Omicron.During this time, the tourism industry needs to reinvent itself. ready to receive guests. According to him, opening tourism should not be too hasty, instead it should be done step by step as piloted in Phu Quoc (Kien Giang), Khanh Hoa, and Quang Nam today.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam speaks from the online bridge at the Government Office. Photo: VPCP
Also in the seminar, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said: "It is impossible to be negligent and subjective to the epidemic in the new situation". Especially when the world is showing the Omicron strain with 3.2 times more infectious ability than the Delta strain and 5 times more than the old strain.
The Deputy Minister respectfully requested that ministries, central branches and localities continue to review and propose solutions to the Ministry of Health. With its authority, the Ministry of Health will issue guidance on amending and supplementing Decision 4800 to suit reality. Previously, this decision was made when the coverage of the first dose vaccine nationwide was 70%.
In addition, he also said that Vietnam has the advantage of vaccination speed. Up to now, 1 dose of vaccine has been given to 98% of the population aged 18 years and over, and the second dose is 86%. Children 12-17 years of age completed the 1st dose 79% and the 2nd shot 38%. Especially through the assessment of the Ministry of Health, the vaccinated F0 have milder disease, the mild form F0 and F1 are being isolated and treated at home. After 4 epidemics, the health system has been strengthened stronger, people are more aware of epidemic prevention and control. This will be a premise for Vietnam to develop its economy and restore tourism.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen delivered a speech at the conference.
Regarding specific solutions, the Ministry of Health has coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to recognize vaccine passports of 77 countries and territories, and at the same time issued a sample of the process of issuing vaccine passports for Vietnamese people and proposed to other countries. Regarding the immigration process, the Ministry of Health has carried out a pilot to welcome guests and only requires self-monitoring of health at the accommodation for 3 days, with negative test results on the 3rd day, before moving, traveling. Normal calendar in Vietnam.
Reporting on the progress of international arrivals, Mr. Nguyen Luu Trung, Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee, said that the strain of Omicron virus is having certain effects. Specifically, according to the plan in December, the province will welcome delegations from South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia with 160-290 guests/trip, however, due to the emergence of a new virus strain, some flights have been delayed. To date, Kien Giang has received 3 flights with 412 international guests. It is expected that in January 2022, there will be 10-12 more flights from Dubai, Korea, Malaysia...
Provincial leaders suggested that in the coming time, Vietnam will simplify procedures for tour operators registering to participate. pilot program. In addition, the visa procedure is more open and convenient for tourists.
