The Vietnamese Embassy in Belarus has prepared scenarios and measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Ambassador Pham Hai.

Illustrative image (Photo: facebook of Vietnamese Embassy in Belarus)

The diplomat said his embassy has taken precautionary measures to protect the health and safety of staff at Vietnamese representative agencies in the country, in line with instructions from the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The embassy has updated the Vietnamese community on the developments of the disease and preventive measures, Hai added, saying that although local residents do not have the habit of wearing masks, the embassy has still advised Vietnamese to use them in public places.

It also asked Vietnamese students in the country to stay calm and united, and keep in touch with the representative agencies.

They are recommended to limit movements and not to fly home in order to prevent transmission and be left stranded at airports due to flight cancellations, Hai said.

Belarus has recorded 94 COVID-19 cases so far, with no fatalities. Since the first case was detected on February 27, the Belarusian Government has employed precautionary measures, including a 14-day quarantine period.

The country has conducted nearly 24,000 tests, and has been lauded by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the 10 countries with the largest number of tests per share of population.

Given the fast spread of the disease worldwide, the embassy will continue keeping a close watch on the situation, providing relevant information for the Vietnamese community, and giving them recommendations in an effort to minimise the impact of the pandemic on their health and safety, the ambassador said.