Saturday 3 April 2021

PM ORDERS CONSIDERATION OF COVID ‘VACCINE PASSPORT’ FOR ECONOMIC, TRAVEL RECOVERY

Foreign tourists walk on Bui Vien backpacker street in downtown HCMC, March 2020.
Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered relevant agencies to map out plans for “Covid-19 vaccine passport” implementation to soon help tourism and aviation sectors recover.


Speaking at a government meeting Wednesday, Phuc requested relevant agencies to consider “appropriate anti-pandemic prevention measures” as the country adopts an official policy for Covid-19 vaccine passport holders.

His directive came after tourism experts earlier this month suggested the government consider opening up to vaccinated foreign visitors from the third quarter in a similar vein to regional peers to revive the hard-hit tourism industry.

While some experts proposed those holding “vaccine passports” should still undergo 14-day quarantine in the absence of information on the potential risk of infection following two-dose inoculation, others suggested the exemption of mandatory quarantine if foreign arrivals show a vaccine certificate and negative test results before and after entering the country.

A “vaccine passport” entered the agenda as the Southeast Asian country committed to both containing Covid-19 outbreaks and ensuring economic growth, rebooting hard-hit sectors like aviation and tourism.

Phuc said many businesses in sectors like transport, tourism and services have been badly affected; as a result, many people have been left unemployed.

The PM also ordered relevant agencies to consider gradually resuming international flights.

The government has closed national borders and canceled all international flights since March last year with only Vietnamese repatriates, foreign experts and highly-skilled workers allowed in with stringent conditions.

The government last year green-lighted the resumption of commercial flights to seven Asian destinations, mainland China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, but Vietnamese carriers are still not allowed to operate inbound flights.

Read the full article at VNExpress: https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/pm-orders-consideration-of-covid-vaccine-passport-for-economic-travel-recovery-4249896.html
Image: Foreign tourists walk on Bui Vien backpacker street in downtown HCMC, March 2020.
Photo by VnExpress/Nguyet Nhi.
Tags: tourism recovery, vaccine passport, Vietnam

Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office
c/o 3rd Floor, Department of Tourism, Ministry of Tourism and Sports, 154 Rama 1 Road National Stadium, Wangmai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Web: www.mekongtourism.org
Tel: +66 2038 5071-1

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