Vietnam has now stopped issuing tourist visas to Chinese and anyone who has stayed in mainland China in the last 14 days, while standing ready to declare a public health emergency of the novel coronavirus, the government said in an order published on its verified Facebook account on Friday.

The novel coronavirus outbreak is spreading rapidly and in a serious manner, particularly in China, according to the fiat.

The World Health Organization on Thursday declared the virus a public health emergency of international concern.

“There is a very high likelihood that a major outbreak will hit Vietnam as it shares a long border with China,” the fiat reads.

“Bilateral trade is very busy while numerous tourists visit each other’s country.

“There are many Vietnamese working in China and a lot of Chinese working in Vietnam.”

Vietnam on Thursday confirmed three new viral infections, all Vietnamese, taking the total confirmed cases in the country to five, including two Chinese -- one of whom has been cured.

So the central government orders that the country fight the virus like “an enemy,” willing to sacrifice economic benefits for the safety of the people.

Those localities sharing the border with China are required to establish contacts with the Chinese sides to get updates on the novel coronavirus in order to deal with it properly.

Vietnam ceases all flights to and from new coronavirus-hit areas in China, except for special cases to be approved by the prime minister.

The Southeast Asian country stops issuing tourist visas to foreign visitors, including Chinese, who are staying or have stayed in China in the past two weeks – which is the incubation period of the virus.

Exceptions will be made for official visas.

Entry and exit for tourism purposes using border-crossing travel documents will also be barred.

People are advised to avoid crowds, especially at festivals, while any fest that has not opened is to be suspended, pending approval from the prime minister.

Activities to send Vietnamese workers to China must be halted, the government said, adding that authorities closely watch the Chinese who have been back to Vietnam after returning to China for the Lunar New Year festival.

The Ministry of Education and Training is required to ask those students suspected to be infected to stay home and to stand ready to shut down schools in case of an outbreak of the virus.

The military must be put on utmost standby while makeshift hospitals should be prepared for such an outbreak, the fiat said.

The Ministry of Health is charged with cooperating with the Ministy of Justice in perusing conditions and legal documents to propose declaring a public health emergency of the virus in due course, reporting to the prime minister by February 2.

The global death toll has risen to 213 while the total number of confirmed novel coronavirus cases has reached nearly 10,000 as of Friday, according to Reuters.

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