$5 a day: Vietnam sets price for arrivals' stays at COVID-19 quarantine camps

Two health workers are seen in the background of a sign in Vietnamese that says 'quarantine area' in this file photo taken in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed on the Ministry of Finance’s proposal regarding the cost at local quarantine camps, which is applied to people arriving in the country from September 1.

Accordingly, people who choose to stay at quarantine camps managed by the military and competent authorities have to pay VND80,000 ($3.40) for their meals and VND40,000 ($1.70) for other service fees on a daily basis.

If they opt to spend their quarantine period at local resorts and hotels, the expenses will be determined by those accommodation establishments.

Vietnam requires all arriving foreigners to have international health insurance that can cover the costs of medical examination and treatment during their stay in the country.

All people arriving in Vietnam are also required to undergo and pay for their COVID-19 tests.
The treatment of Vietnamese COVID-19 patients will still be paid for by the state budget in accordance with the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases.

Regarding the treatment cost of foreign COVID-19 patients, the prime minister tasked the Ministry of Health, in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies, with proposing amendments to the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases to suit the current situation.

The prime minister previously announced that all arrivals to Vietnam will have to pay for the cost of their mandatory 14-day quarantine from September 1.

Prior to this date, stays at quarantine centers in Vietnam were free of charge, but people could choose to spend their quarantine at local hotels for a fee.

Vietnam has documented 1,068 COVID-19 cases, with 941 having recovered and 35 deaths as of Saturday morning, according to Ministry of Health statistics.

The country has gone for 16 days without recording a community-based transmission.

Source: tuoitrenews.vn
Collected by My Nguyen