Vietnam’s Ministry of Health on Friday issued guidance on providing pay-to-stay service for people quarantined due to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The instruction is meant for people who are being quarantined at free-of-charge isolation facilities and arrivals from foreign countries who wish to stay at hotels and other accommodation establishments available in the same locality for better conditions.

The upgrade is optional and all costs associated with it are paid for by the person who voluntarily opts for the pay-to-stay service.

Hotels and accommodation establishments used for quarantine are required to only serve quarantine purposes and not accept regular guests during the period.

The duration of quarantine is 14 days from the date of entry into Vietnam for foreign arrivals or from the last contact with a suspected carrier of COVID-19.

Personnel at free-of-charge quarantine camps are responsible for notifying quarantined people of the pay-to-stay option as well as procedures to register for the service.

These establishments also have to make and manage the lists of quarantined people who register for transfer to hotels, as well as their health monitoring records.

The free quarantine facilities are also responsible for transporting those people to their hotels of choice, disinfecting their belongings, and ensuring safety during transportation.

The quarantined people must wear face masks and refrain from talking, drinking and eating during the relocation.

At airports and border gates, it is the responsibility of the medical quarantine force to notify incoming passengers of the registration for quarantining at hotels.

Administrations in provinces and cities must create favorable conditions for and give support to quarantined people during the isolation, while timely handling those who do not comply with the requirements of medical isolation.

The local steering committees for COVID-19 prevention and control are responsible for granting and ending the authorization for hotels to offer paid quarantine services.

Two medical workers in protective suits are seen at a COVID-19 quarantine facility in Ho Chi Minh City in this undated photo. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

The Ministry of Health’s guidance also contains instructions on how to prevent infection at the hotels and to handle detected cases or suspected cases of COVID-19 there.

Checkpoints must be set up at the accommodation establishments with local police and security forces stationed 24/7 to prevent any unauthorized entry.

All vehicles coming in and going out of these facilities must be disinfected.

Hotel rooms for quarantine purposes must be placed at separate zones distanced from functional areas such as reception, hotel and medical staff’s living area, laundry area, kitchen, and canteen.

Quarantine zones must be arranged so as to make it convenient for disinfection, environmental sanitation, and waste collection and disposal.

The selected hotels must train their personnel on providing services to quarantined people.

Vietnam has so far confirmed 91 cases of COVID-19 infections, with 17 having fully recovered and walked out of the hospital free of the virus by Friday.

No deaths from COVID-19 have been reported in the Southeast Asian country to date.

The nation has placed all suspected COVID-19 infections under 14-day quarantine at isolation camps free of charge.

Vietnam has also enforced the mandatory 14-day quarantine to all incoming travelers to the country from Saturday.

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