Aviation association wants home quarantine for overseas Vietnamese cut to 3 days

The Vietnam Aviation Business Association wants the Ministry of Health to reduce its proposed 14-day home quarantine for fully immunized overseas Vietnamese to three days.

They could be told to perform a rapid Covid test by themselves and a PCR test for confirmation if they test positive, it said.

The ministry has drafted new entry guidelines for overseas Vietnamese arriving by regular international flights that require them to self-monitor their health for the first three days at home or a hotel and isolate themselves.

They have to undergo PCR testing on the third day, and continue to monitor their health until the end of the 14th day.

Unvaccinated passengers have to undergo home quarantine for seven days and be tested on the first and seventh days. They then have to continue monitoring their health for another seven days.

All passengers except children aged under two entering the country must furnish a negative PCR test result, but the aviation association wants the ministry to allow the exemption for everyone under 18.

Pointing out the draft proposal does not include foreigners wishing to enter Vietnam for travel and business, it said with the pandemic under control following the high vaccination rate and neighboring countries easing entry regulations and attracting foreign visitors, the ministry should waive quarantine requirement for foreigners who are fully vaccinated or have recovered from Covid.

Health and aviation experts have repeatedly called on the government to not insist on mandatory quarantine for foreigners entering the country by commercial flights to enable the airline and tourism industries to recover.

The government has approved the resumption of international flights on a few routes from January 1.

It grounded all international flights in March last year, for a long time allowing in only its nationals, foreign experts, investors, and highly-skilled workers coming by special flights.