DECISION

 GUIDANCE ON QUARANTINE AT QUARANTINE ZONES FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS PNEUMONIA (COVID-19)

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

Pursuant to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases dated November 21, 2007;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 101/2010/ND-CP of September 30, 2010, detailing a number of articles of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases regarding the application and enforcement of quarantine and particular epidemic control measures during the time of occurrence of epidemics;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 75/2017/ND-CP dated June 20, 2017 defining functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister's Decision No. 173/QD-TTg dated February 01, 2020 on declaration of acute respiratory diseases caused by COVID-19;

At the request of the Director of General Department of Preventive Medicine, the Ministry of Health,

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Article 1. The Guidance on quarantine at quarantine zones in order to prevent and control acute respiratory disease caused by the new strain of Corona virus (nCoV) is promulgated together with this Decision”

Article 2. This guidance shall be applied at quarantine zones assigned by the People’s Committees of central-affiliated cities and provinces (hereinafter referred to as “provinces”).

Article 3. This Decision takes effect from the day on which it is signed.

Article 4. The Chief of the Ministry Office, the Chief Inspector of the Ministry, Directors, General Directors of Departments and General Departments affiliated to the Ministry of Health, Directors of Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Pasteur Institutes, Directors of hospitals affiliated to the Ministry of Health, Directors of Departments of Health of provinces, heads of health authorities and heads of relevant units are responsible for the implementation of this Decision./.

PP. MINISTER
DEPUTY MINISTER




Do Xuan Tuyen

GUIDANCE

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I. Purpose:

Preventing the spread of COVID-19.

II. Form of isolation:

 Quarantine at quarantine zones under the 2007 Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

III. People subject to quarantine:

1. Persons coming from or going through Hubei province of China to Vietnam within 14 days from the date of their entry.

2. Vietnamese people who enter Vietnam from or go through China (except for Hubei province) within 14 days from the date of entry.

IV. Quarantine zone location:

Quarantine zones for people coming from or going Hubei province of China into Vietnam must be separated from those of other patients.

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14 days from the date of entry.

VI. Organization of quarantine:

1. At border checkpoints

International health quarantine units and relevant units shall:

a) Demand medical declaration and quarantine people on their entry;

b) Request to the head of the border checkpoint authority to decide whether to put certain people in quarantine.

c) Inform the patients’ family as prescribed.

d/ In case a foreign is quarantined, send a written notice of to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , which will notify the diplomatic representative mission of the patient’s home country.

dd) Quarantine people with suspected COVID-19 infection at quarantine zones assigned by the People’s Committees of the provinces.

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g) Send the persons who have no signs of infection (fever, cought, difficult breathing) to the quarantine zones assigned by the People's Committees of provinces.

h) The driver and assistants must wear facemasks and personal protective equipment during the transport; wash their hands with soap or antiseptic solution after completion of their tasks.

i) Disinfect means of transportation by disinfectant solutions containing 0.5% active chlorine right after each trip.

2. At quarantine zones

2.1. Health workers and other employees of quarantine zones shall:

a) Organize the admission and make a list of people to be quarantined; record information about their family addresses, accommodation, telephone numbers; names of people and telephone numbers for contact when necessary.

b) Inform the patients of the necessity, purposes and duration of quarantine.

c) Move patients to quarantine rooms. It is best to have only one patient in a quarantine room; in case there are more than one patient in a room, the distance between two beds must be at least 1 meter.

d) Hand out leaflets that instruct patients to protect themselves and other patients from infection, including: how to use thermometer to measure body temperature at least twice a day, monitor their own health; take personal hygiene measures, wear masks, wash hands with soap or other antiseptic solutions; notify medical workers as soon as having one of the symptoms of the disease such as fever, cough, or difficult breathing.

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e/ Report daily monitoring results to provincial-level Departments of Health or disease control center or preventive medicine centers.

g) Monitor the health status and measure the body temperature of the people in quarantine (patients) at least twice (once in the morning and once in the afternoon). Enter the results in health monitoring sheet of each patient.

h) Strictly comply with regulations on infection prevention for health workers as prescribed by the Ministry of Health when contacting with the people isolated.

i) Inform the quarantined people that they will be tested for COVID-19 and the people who test positive will be transferred to the medical facility for treatment and isolation in accordance with regulations; and that people who test negative are not completely infection-free and still needs to be quarantined and monitored at home until the end of the 14-day quarantine period as prescribed.

k) Collaborate with the disease control center or preventive medicine center of the province in testing the samples of the people in quarantine for COVID-19. People who test positive shall be transferred to medical facilities for treatment and isolation in accordance with regulations; People who test negative shall be monitored at home until the end of the 14-day period as prescribed.

l) Promptly report to persons in charge of the quarantine zone, provincial-level Department of Health and disease control center or preventive medicine center of the province in case any patient has fever, cough or difficult breathing during quarantine, transfer them to medical facilities for treatment and isolation under regulations.

m) Submit daily reports to the Department of Health and disease control center or preventive medicine center of the province.

n) Be friendly and encouraging to people in quarantine while performing their tasks to create comfortable psychology, ideology and collaboration for the isolated persons during the monitoring process.

2.2. People in quarantine shall:

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b) Take personal hygiene measures, wear facemasks and wash hands with soap or other antiseptic solutions.

c) Measure body temperature at least twice a day and daily monitor their health.

d) Notify the responsible health worker of any symptoms of COVID 19.

dd) Restricting entry from the sterile area on a daily basis and in direct contact with other people in the sterile area.

e) Put used facemasks, napkins and tissues in separate biomedical waste containers with covers, plastic liners, recognizable color and biohazard symbol;

g) Put other common waste in bins for common waste;

h) Cooperate with health workers in providing specimens for screening tests.

2.3. Quarantine zones shall:

a) Have internal rules in quarantine areas.

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c) Not allow social gathering in quarantine areas.

d) Ensure food safety during the quarantine process.

dd) Provide assistance and encouragement to comfort people in quarantine throughout the monitoring period.

e) Closely monitor the quarantine process and enforce quarantine against uncooperative people.

g) Ensure security and safety in the quarantine area.

2.4. People's Committees of provinces where quarantine zones are located shall:

a) Direct and organize the quarantine process at quarantine zones and mobilize resources to quarantine zones; Facilitate the quarantine process of people subject to quarantine.

b) Inspect and supervise closely the quarantine process and enforce quarantine against uncooperative people.

VII. Infection prevention at quarantine zones

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2. People in quarantine shall be given facemasks and instructed on how to use facemasks properly.

3There must be places for hand washing with soap and antiseptic solutions in the patient rooms, toilets, dining rooms and kitchens.

4. There must be a rug with 0.5% active chlorine at the entrance to the quarantine area in a plastic tray or metal tray for disinfection of footwear. 0.5% of active chlorine shall be added to the rug after every 4 hours.

5. Wastes being used facemasks, napkins and tissues of discarded by people in quarantine shall be collected, transported and treated as biomedical wastes, to be specific: facemask bags, used napkins and tissues shall be put into separate biomedical waste containers with covers, plastic liners, recognizable color and biohazard symbol. The primary bag shall be tied up, put into a secondary bag which is then put into the biomedical waste container. Biomedical waste containers must be hard, have lids and wheels installed and be transported to the temporary storage area within the at least twice a day. Biomedical wastes must be transported for treatment within day. Containers of biomedical wastes must be disinfected 0.5% active chlorine solution after being used.

6. Other domestic waste shall be collected, transported and treated as common waste.

7. Means of transport of people with suspected or confirmed infection must be disinfected with disinfection solutions containing 0.5% of active chlorine right after each trip.

8. Personal items such as clothes, blankets, plates, cups may be washed or cleaned with soap or ordinary detergents.

9. Minimize entry of unauthorized persons into the quarantine area.

VIII. Handling of suspected and confirmed cases at quarantine zones

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2. Transfer persons in the same room with suspected or confirmed infection to an area that is separated from other quarantine areas.

3. Cooperate with the disease control center or the preventive medicine center of the province in conducting epidemiological investigations of the case.

4. Transport the person with suspected or confirmed infection to a hospital assigned by the People’s Committee of the province for treatment and testing.

5. The disease control center or preventive medicine center of the province shall sterilize patient rooms according to the Health Ministry's regulations. A patient room may be used only after being sterilized.

IX. Tasks of the quarantine zones

After accomplishing their tasks, quarantine zones shall perform the following tasks:

1. Complete the procedures according to the regulations of competent authorities.

2. Collect waste and clean up the area.

3. Sterilize the quarantine area for the last time with 0.5% active chlorine solution.

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5. Send a Consolidated report on the results to local governments and relevant competent authorities./.