Facing complex developments from a new COVID-19 outbreak, the Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha (VBS) has requested that its central and local units, training establishments, and places of worship enhance prevention and control measures.

The Executive Council of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha has demanded suspension
of festivals and mass gatherings to curb the spread of COVID-19 (Photo: VNA) 

In a document sent on July 30, the Executive Council’s Standing Board demanded they suspend festivals, ritual ceremonies, and training courses with mass gatherings, while increasing disease prevention measures like wearing face masks and frequently washing hands with soap or sanitiser.

The VBS units, training establishments, and places of worship were also told to request that monks, nuns, and followers carry out health declarations, self-quarantine, and monitor their health if they have travelled through pandemic-hit areas, strictly comply with local authorities’ regulations on disease prevention and control, and practice social distancing when asked.

On July 27, the VBS Executive Council ordered stronger anti-COVID-19 measures at its units in central Da Nang city and Quang Ngai province, the first localities to record community infections after 99 straight days of Vietnam being free of such transmissions.

The number of COVID-19 cases in Vietnam now stands at 459, including nine new local infections confirmed in the morning of July 30.