On March 12, 2020, the Ministry of Health of Vietnam issued the Decision No. 879/QĐ-BYT in 2020 on the guidelines on medical quarantine at home and in lodgings for COVID-19 prevention and control.
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Specifically, according to the Decision No. 447/QĐ-TTg, the Prime Minister of Vietnam declared that COVID-19 (novel coronavirus acute respiratory disease) is a group A infectious disease at the level of a global pandemic. In addition, one of the measures to prevent and control the epidemic is to organize medical isolation.
The guidelines on medical quarantine at home and in lodgings for COVID-19 prevention and control promulgated together with the Decision No. 879/QĐ-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam have specified persons must be medically isolated at home and concurrently specified which locations medical isolation at home includes, how long the isolation period is and what are the requirements for isolation rooms, specifically as follows:
Firstly, quarantine at home and in the following types of lodgings: private houses; apartments; tenements; dormitories of schools, industrial parks and factories; hotel rooms, rented housing and lodgings of regulatory bodies and units.
Secondly, quarantined persons include:
- Persons having contact with confirmed cases;
- Persons subject to quarantine in quarantine zones and testing negative for SARS-CoV-2 according to the Ministry of Health’s guidelines;
- Other groups of people according to the direction of the Prime Minister or National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Health’s guidance given based on the pandemic’s progress.
Thirdly, quarantine duration: 14 days starting from the date on which the quarantined person last comes into contact with a suspected source of infection.
Fourthly, requirements for quarantine rooms are as follows:
- It is preferable that the quarantined person stays in a separate room. Otherwise, the quarantined person should sleep on a separate bed, which is placed at least 2 meters away from other beds and far away from common areas.
- Quarantine rooms shall be well ventilated, be regularly cleaned, have no air conditioner and minimal interiors.
- If possible, select rooms situated at the end of the corridor, downwind and/or far away from areas with many passersby for quarantine.
- Quarantine rooms shall have their own bathrooms, soap and water.
- Quarantine rooms shall have garbage bins with lids.
Besides, the Decision No. 879/QĐ-BYT also clearly stated: For proactive COVID-19 prevention and control, my family and I declare to comply with the following requirements for medical quarantine at home/in lodgings:
- Comply with COVID-19 prevention and control measures according to requirements from the local government and guidelines of the healthcare sector.
- Undergo quarantine at home for the required period.
- Not leave my home or lodging while under quarantine.
- Not host large gatherings at home/in my lodging.
- Members of my household will monitor their own health, not hide the disease and inform commune-level healthcare workers and the neighborhood immediately if they develop one of the following suggestive symptoms: fever (temperature higher than 37,5° C); coughing; breathing difficulty; runny nose, throat pain, etc.
- Comply with the following hygiene measures on a daily basis: wear face masks; regularly wash hands with soap; ventilate and clean the house: wipe objects, chairs, tables, the floor, doorknobs, etc. with common cleaning agents or disinfectants.
- Give encouragement and support to each other to feel reassured throughout the quarantine period.
View more details at the Decision No. 879/QĐ-BYT of the Ministry of Health of Vietnam, effective from March 12, 2020.
Le Hai
- Key word:
- Decision No. 879/QĐ-BYT
- Covid-19
