Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has ordered competent authorities to quarantine people who come from all of China’s 31 provinces and provincial-level administrative units for 14 days upon their entry into Vietnam to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).

The order will apply to everyone who has traveled to any of the 31 provinces and administrative units in China where the 2019-nCoV infection has been reported.

Those who arrive in the Southeast Asian country from the Chinese province of Hubei, the epicenter of the outbreak, must be treated as infected patients and quarantined at a hospital upon arrival.

People coming from other parts of China can be quarantined at home under the supervision of local authorities, PM Phuc stated, adding that they must not leave their isolation areas or interact with others.

Family members must take preventive measures and limit contact with the quarantined individuals.

Residential areas where in-house quarantines take place must be thoroughly sterilized.

The premier also ordered localities to declare an epidemic if there is an infection case, allow students to stay home, and cancel all public activities or gathering of large crowds.

The novel coronavirus, which first surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 2019, has caused 427 deaths and infected more than 20,600 people globally as of Tuesday.

The virus has spread to 24 countries and territories, including Vietnam, the U.S., Germany, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and more.

Vietnam confirmed its ninth case on Tuesday. Six Vietnamese, one Vietnamese American, and two Chinese were among the infected patients.

One of the Chinese patients has fully recovered after being quarantined for treatment at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and was discharged on Tuesday morning.

A Vietnamese patient in north-central Thanh Hoa Province had also recovered as of Monday.

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