Phan Ngoc Linh, head of the national flag carrier’s flight attendants division, said the decision was taken after a cabin crew tested positive for the Covid-19.

The flight attendants will not be allowed to go to public attractions, stores, supermarkets, public transportation and crowded places with high chances of coronavirus infection, especially in European countries. They cannot sell or transport any product or merchandise from overseas to Vietnam till further notice.

If a flight attendant has a special or compulsory reason for going out, they must get permission from the head of the stewardess division. When going out, they must wear face masks and wash their hands regularly. They will be monitored closely for violations.

At the moment, flight attendants usually stay overseas for one or two days between flights, depending on the length of the flight.

On long international flights, the cabin crew have their own restroom, which is sanitized frequently. If any passenger enters it, the restroom will be sterilized immediately. Pilots also have to follow the safety rules including wearing a protective suit when they fly internationally and take separate transportation to the plane.

Vietnam Airlines is the only carrier in Vietnam that has direct flights to European countries like England, Germany and France. When the novel coronavirus outbreak happened, they began applying many safety methods for the crew, like temperature checks before flights, wearing gloves, face masks and using hand sanitizers.

Pilots and flight attendants present on flights with Covid-19 patients will be monitored and quarantined. All aircraft returning from overseas, equipment used and airport transportation means will get sterilized.

On Friday, the Ministry of Health confirmed that a 30-year-old female flight attendant of Vietnam Airlines on a flight from London to Hanoi that landed on March 9 tested positive for Covid-19.

Vietnam has officially confirmed 47 Covid-19 cases so far. 16 patients have been discharged by February 26 while the rest were confirmed within the past week, including seven cases in Hanoi and two in HCMC.

The Covid-19 outbreak has thus far spread to 138 countries and territories around the world, killing over 5,400 people.