Official Dispatch 5599/BYT-MT 2021 piloting home quarantine of F1 cases

INTERIM GUIDANCE

ON HOME QUARANTINE OF CLOSE CONTACTS (F1 CASES) FOR COVID-19 PANDEMIC PREVENTION AND CONTROL

(Attached to the Ministry of Health’s Official Dispatch No. 5599/BYT-MT dated July 14, 2021)

1. Subjects

1.1. People in close contact with confirmed cases (hereinafter referred to as F1 cases);

- People who live in the same household as F1 cases and are quarantined at home with F1 cases;

- People who directly take care and support F1 cases and are quarantined at home with F1 cases.

1.2. Those who have completed 7-day concentrated quarantine, have their PCR test results (on the 7^th day) negative with SARS-CoV-2 and are allowed to quarantine at home.

2. Period:

- Quarantine at home or place of residence (hereinafter collectively referred to as home quarantine) for 14 consecutive days from the first date of quarantine. Those who have completed 7-day concentrated quarantine shall continue to be quarantined at home for the next 07 days.

- After the quarantine period, they shall be subject to health monitoring for the next 14 days.

3. Requirements on material facilities and equipment

- Houses used for home quarantine must be separate houses or apartments in a collective living quarter or condominium.

- Warning signs in red background and yellow letters as follows: “ĐỊA ĐIỂM CÁCH LY Y TẾ PHÒNG, CHỐNG DỊCH COVID-19” (QUARANTINE AREA FOR COVID-19 PREVENTION AND CONTROL); and yellow containers with an infectious waste symbol, labeled “CHẤT THẢI CÓ NGUY CƠ CHỨA SARS- CoV-2” (SARS-CoV-2 HAZARDOUS WASTE), for storing protective outfit of health staff, shall be placed in front of the house.

- The house must have a self-contained room for quarantine, separate from the family's living area.

- It is encouraged to install cameras to supervise quarantined people.

- The rooms used for quarantine must meet the following requirements:

+ There must be a separate toilet, bath room, adequate personal hygiene tools, hand soap, clean water or hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol (hereinafter referred to as the hand sanitizer). There must be a tool to measure body temperature.

+ The room used for quarantine must be equipped with a yellow bin with a lid and foot pedal and lined with a yellow bag for storing waste including masks, towels, and tissues, labeled “CHẤT THẢI CÓ NGUY CƠ CHỨA SARS- CoV-2” (SARS-CoV-2 HAZARDOUS WASTE) (hereinafter referred to as infectious waste bin); and a domestic waste bin with a lid and foot pedal and lined with a blue bag for storing other domestic wastes (hereinafter referred to as domestic waste bin).

+ Central air conditioners are not allowed to turn on, a private air conditioners may be allowed; ensuring ventilation, it is best to open the windows regularly.

+ Washing machine or buckets, basins must be equipped so as the quarantined people can wash clothes themselves

+ There must be a broom, a mop, a rag, 02 buckets and the disinfectant liquid or common cleaning liquid so that the quarantined people can disinfect their room. The rooms used for quarantine must be disinfected on a daily basis.

- Personal hygiene equipment must be adequately equipped to prevent infection (medical masks, medical gloves, shoes, goggles, trousers and blouses) for family members when being in close contact with quarantined people.

- A table must be placed in front of the room used for quarantine for providing food portions, water and other necessities for quarantined people.  It is not allowed to bring quarantined people’s equipment and things out of the house.

4. Requirements for people subject to home quarantine

- Abiding by regulations on home quarantine period; having commitments with local authorities according to form provided in Appendix 1.

- Not leaving their rooms during the quarantine period, not being in contact with family members as well as others.  Not touching pets.

- Always implementing the 5K Messages and pandemic prevention and control measures according to regulations.

- Installing, turning on and making health declaration on a daily basis on VHD or Bluezone app during the quarantine period.

- Measuring body temperatures, checking heath status and updating it on VHD or Bluezone app on a daily basis. In case the quarantined people do not have smartphones, they must daily report to health staff through the provided telephone number. Especially, when showing suspected symptoms such as cough, fever, shore throat, shortness of breath, they must immediately update such on VHD or Bluezone app and report health staff. If they cannot measure body temperature themselves, health staff or their caregivers (if any) shall do it.

- Not sharing personal belongings such as bowls, chopsticks, spoons, cups, toothbrushes and towels with others.

- Disinfecting and cleaning their houses/rooms on a daily basis according to guidelines provided in Appendix 3.

- Classifying wastes by types according to guidelines provided in Appendix 3.

- After completing the quarantine period, they must continue monitoring their health at home according to regulations.

- They must be taken samples and tested for SARS-CoV-2 at least 03 times, on the 1^st day, 7^th day and 14^th day from the first day of quarantine.

5. Requirements for persons living in the same houses as F1 cases:

- To submit written commitments to the local authorities, using the form in the Appendix 1 and sign, with the persons caring for, supporting the quarantined people, the form in the Appendix 2.

- Do not let the elderly and people with underlying health conditions needing medical care stay in the same houses as the quarantined persons.

- Do not contact the quarantined persons, limit going out unnecessarily, to comply with the 5K Message and fully record the times of contact during the period of F1 cases’ home quarantine.

- In case F1 cases are children or the elderly and weak persons with underlying health conditions that need the caregivers, the latter are permitted to be in quarantine with them, ensuring pandemic prevention and control measures. The persons caring for, supporting the quarantined people must submit written commitments to the local authorities, made according to the Appendix 2.

- To separately provide meals, drinking water and necessities for quarantined people on a daily basis.

- To immediately notify health staff when the quarantined persons voluntarily leave the houses or have suspected symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath.

- To collect wastes from the private rooms for quarantine according to the guidance in the Appendix 3.

- Do not allow other people to enter the houses during the quarantine period (except for people living in the houses, health staff and competent persons in charge of quarantine surveillance).

- To self-monitor the health. When having suspected symptoms such as cough, fever, sore throat, shortness of breath, to promptly notify the health staff.

- To clean and disinfect the houses on a daily basis.

- All people living in the houses as the quarantined persons shall be taken pooled samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing at least 3 times, on the 1^st day, 7^th day and 14^th day after the date the quarantined persons started the quarantine (except for the persons living in the same houses but having been moved to other places), arrange an indoor area for health staff to take samples for testing and medical surveillance upon the request.

- In case the quarantined persons have the caregivers, the latter shall be taken samples for SARS-CoV-2 testing according to the time and number of testing times applied to the quarantined peoples.

6. Requirements for heath staff

- To daily receive information and check the health status of quarantined people, their caregivers. To assist the quarantined persons to measure their body temperature if the quarantined persons cannot do it themselves. To record the result on the daily health tracking sheet.

- To take samples and test for SARS-CoV-2 for quarantined persons, their caregivers and the people living in the same houses as the quarantine persons according to regulations. Taking samples can be carried out in the private rooms for quarantine or in well-ventilated areas that are at the end of the wind direction and near the private rooms for quarantine, ensuring that there is no contact with other people and avoiding the infection. To sanitize, disinfect and collect wastes disposed during taking samples for treatment according to regulations.

- To instruct the quarantined persons, their caregivers and the people living in the same houses as the quarantine persons to collect wastes according to the guidance in Appendix 3.

- To immediately report to the health agencies at higher level and local authorities when the quarantined persons, their caregivers and the people living in the same houses as the quarantine persons show suspected symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and others.

- If the quarantined persons, their caregivers and the people living in the same houses as the quarantine persons have the positive testing results, to handle according to regulations.

7. Requirements for commune-level People’s Committees

- Only after checking and confirming that the persons are eligible for home quarantine, using the form in the Appendix 4, can commune-level People’s Committees permit the home quarantine.

- To provide the quarantined persons and the people living in the same houses as the quarantine persons with information (full names, telephone numbers) of health staff responsible for health monitoring for contact.

- To organize the strict supervision and management of home quarantine, do not let the quarantined persons go out of the private rooms for quarantine; medical surveillance of quarantined persons during the quarantine period and after the completion of quarantine;

- To require people living in the same houses as the quarantined persons to limit contact with other people, not to go out unnecessarily, strictly comply with the 5K Message, and must fully record the times of contact during the period of F1 cases’ home quarantine.

- To organize the collection and transport of wastes of people being in home quarantine for treatment according to regulations.

- In case the whole family of a quarantined person is F1, it is suggested to arrange and support the provision of food, necessities and other necessary requirements to the house/household of the quarantined person.

* All Appendices are not translated herein.