No extreme ban on air conditioning; Students do not have to wear masks in class

At the meeting on the morning of May 6, the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control proposed epidemic prevention measures in the new developments, including easing measures.

Up to this point, Vietnam has controlled the Covid-19 epidemic well. The Prime Minister said that Vietnam has basically pushed back the epidemic and must return to life, production, business and daily activities in a new normal state. The epidemic situation in the world is still complicated and tense, with tens of thousands of new cases and thousands of deaths every day. The Steering Committee assessed that the current situation is like Vietnam is in a low-lying field and outside there are big waves and strong winds, so we need to "close the dike", continue the policy of strictly managing immigration, and ensure safety.

Accordingly, mandatory measures are still maintained: First, wearing masks on public transport and in public places - areas outside schools, headquarters and offices... Second, continuing to maintain measures such as direct contact with others, avoiding contact with surfaces that are not exactly known to contain pathogens or not, and accordingly, washing hands is required.

The Steering Committee recommends continuing to strengthen mechanisms and tools, especially information technology, to always be ready. If there is a new case of Covid-19 in the community, it can be immediately detected, isolated, contained and the epidemic can be contained.

With the relaxation of measures, the Steering Committee emphasized the need to carry out the relaxation scientifically. In particular, based on the mechanism of the virus's spread and calculations of the probability of pathogens in the current community. Experts cannot yet say absolutely that there are no more pathogens in the community, in Vietnam, but the probability of pathogens remaining is very low. In particular, with cases that tested positive again after recovery, experts analyzed after taking samples and concluded that "there is no risk of infection in the community". In the face of this development, the health sector continues to focus on caring for and managing patients well, to ensure community safety.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, emphasized: “We now have to study, produce, live... safely under mandatory conditions. We should remove unnecessary, unscientific and even extreme measures, such as forcing students to wear both masks and anti-droplet plastic hats. In schools, students in class are no longer required to wear masks. However, it is recommended that students wash their hands regularly, wear masks during recess and avoid crowded contact with other classmates. It is not mandatory to be extreme in banning air conditioning, because in reality, only the central air conditioning systems are banned. In case there is a person carrying the virus, the air conditioning system can be carried to other rooms. We recommend that classrooms and offices should periodically open their doors to allow air circulation with the outside. This way, children can still be safe, healthy and have less psychological pressure when going to school.”

The Steering Committee recommends that parents should also limit taking their children to public places at this time if not necessary.

With measures to ensure the resumption of production and business, the sectors will continue to have specific instructions to reopen activities and services. However, the Steering Committee agreed that karaoke and dance club businesses should not reopen at this time. Other services can basically reopen as usual, provided that a minimum distance of 1 meter is maintained in these establishments. In addition, the limit on the number of seats on public transport will be gradually lifted. Accordingly, planes, buses, and trains can have enough seats, but passengers are required to wear masks and wash their hands regularly./.