All passenger flights from South Korea to Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airports have been halted since 12 am on Sunday due to complicated development of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the Civil Aviation Authority of Viet Nam (CAAV). 

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Such flights will be redirected to land in designated airports, namely Van Don in northern province of Quang Ninh or Can Tho in the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho.

The move has been taken in accordance with the Government’s directions to contain the spread of the epidemic to Viet Nam.

Meanwhile, cargo flights from South Korea can still land at the Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat international airport as scheduled, said the CAAV.

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport had asked the CAAV to direct airlines to divert incoming flights from South Korea’s epidemic-hit areas to Van Don, Phu Cat and Can Tho airports.

All the airlines shall have to inform all passengers from South Korea to fill in the mandatory health declaration form and recommend passengers who are Vietnamese living and working in South Korea consider buying tickets to Viet Nam as they shall be subject to 14-day quarantine.

On February 25, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a directive asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to promptly inform South Korea, other countries and territories about Viet Nam’s measures to prevent spread of the COVID-19 epidemic.

The measures include temporary suspension of entry into Viet Nam of people with recent travel records to the epidemic-affected areas.

Vietnamese citizens are advised that they should not travel to affected areas and they shall be quarantined for 14 days upon arriving in Viet Nam if they have to travel to the affected areas.

Vietnamese who are living and working in South Korea, especially in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk should seriously follow instructions on epidemic prevention and control of the host country.

On Sunday, South Korea reported three more coronavirus-related deaths in the southeastern city of Daegu, bringing the nation's death toll to 20

As of 4 p.m., the Northeast Asian country had reported a total of 3,736 confirmed cases. Of the total, more than 70% of the cases are in Daegu, with a cluster of infections linked to the Shincheonji Church of Jesus./.