Vietnam Reports Zero COVID-19 Cases for 3rd Consecutive Day...Total Confirmed Cases Reach 268

Partial End of Social Distancing Measures

On the 17th, people from low-income families maintained a 2-meter distance while receiving rice at the free rice distribution center "Rice ATM" set up at the Cultural Center in Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi City, Vietnam. Here, rice sponsored by philanthropists is distributed at 3 kg per household per day to support low-income families struggling with livelihood difficulties due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vietnam has not reported any new cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) for more than three days.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health announced on the 19th at 9 a.m. (local time) that the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases stands at 268.

Since the announcement of the 268th confirmed case around 6 a.m. on the 16th, no new cases have been reported for over 75 hours.

Of the total confirmed cases, 201 patients, accounting for 75%, have recovered, and no deaths have been reported.

Vietnam, which has conducted COVID-19 tests on over 206,000 people, had an average of only two new cases per day during the fifteen days before the 16th, and from the 14th to the 16th, only one new confirmed case was reported each day.

Accordingly, on the 15th, the Vietnamese government classified the country's 63 provinces into three categories: high-risk areas, risk areas, and low-risk areas, and ended the strict 'social distancing' measures implemented on the 1st of this month in 36 low-risk areas.

In areas subject to social distancing, public transportation has been suspended, and people are advised to refrain from going out except for essential reasons such as commuting to work and purchasing groceries. Additionally, most service industries, including restaurants, are prohibited from operating.

For low-risk areas, relaxed COVID-19 prevention measures have been established and implemented.

According to the Vietnamese government press office and local media, Vu Duc Dam, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, stated on the 17th, "Since there is no COVID-19 treatment or vaccine yet, the pandemic will continue for several more months," and added, "We must find ways to coexist safely with COVID-19 while revitalizing the economy."

He also instructed the preparation of safety measures for the reopening of schools nationwide, which have been closed since the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January, and ordered specific measures for safe production, business activities, and cultural, sports, and tourism activities.

Deputy Prime Minister Dam announced that new guidelines for COVID-19 response will be released this week.

Meanwhile, a British English teacher residing in Vietnam recently started the "Thank You, Vietnam" campaign on social media (SNS) to express gratitude to local medical staff, military, police, and volunteers responding to COVID-19, and many foreigners living in the country have been joining the campaign one after another.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.