No Vietnamese students in Japan have been infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, said an official from the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan.

People in Tokyo wear face masks to prevent the spread of the COVID-19
(Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

Talking to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s reporters in Japan, Vu Thi Lien Huong, who is in charge of the education division in the embassy, said almost all Vietnamese students have been aware of the danger of COVID-19, and strictly implemented countermeasures, as well as recommendations from the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training to effectively prevent the epidemic and protect their health.

The division has maintained a hotline to receive information and answer questions related to the Vietnamese government’s policies for students.

According to Huong, students who studying in Japan under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship by Japanese Grant Aid (JDS) were requested to avoid traveling to epidemic-hit areas and not bewildered or believe in false rumors.

Vietnamese students often share relevant information and update health status via social networks, Huong said, adding that the COVID-19 epidemic has so far not seriously affected Vietnamese students in the country.

According to statistics of the Immigration Services Agency (ISA) under the Japanese Ministry of Justice, the total number of Vietnamese students in the country reached 82,266 by December 2019.

In a related move, from March 19, foreign apprentices in Japan are allowed to extend their stay in Japan up to four months if they cannot take the skill exam to extend their visas because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previously, the Japanese government allowed foreign apprentices to continue to stay in the country in case their visas have expired and they could not return home due to the disease.

The representative office of Vietnam Airlines in Tokyo said the national flag carrier will suspend flights between Vietnam and Japan from March 23 until the end of April.

Meanwhile, Minister-Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia Nguyen Quynh Mai said the embassy has been taking many measures to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 in the Vietnamese community in the country.

The embassy has used all information channels of the Vietnamese community to directly provide relevant information for Vietnamese expats living, working and studying in Russia, she stressed.

A disease response task division was established to give advice to the agency’s officials on necessary measures to cope with the disease, Mai added.