Vietnamese workers in the Republic of Korea (RoK) will be given ten face masks each free of charge for use in two weeks amid the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the country.

People line up to buy face masks in Daegu of the RoK (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)

This will also apply to workers who stay in the country illegally and those not joining the country’s health insurance. They could come to the nearest labourer support centres to receive the masks.

Vietnamese workers are eligible for allowance during the 14-day self quarantine and will not be penalised if unable to extend their residence permission during the period.

When they fully recover from the COVID-19 or complete the quarantine period, the workers could go to immigration offices to apply for extension of their stay. 

However, if they leave the assigned facilities during the quarantine period, workers may receive hefty fines, or have their visa cancelled, or even be deported.