Decision No. 344/QD-BYT 2020 guidance on the health quarantine at quarantine establishments for prevention Covid-19

DECISION

Promulgating “the Guidance on the health quarantine at quarantine establishments for the prevention and control of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV)”

THE MINISTER OF HEALTH

Pursuant to the Law on Prevention and control of infectious diseases dated November 21, 2007;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 101/2010/ND-CP dated September 30, 2010 detailing the implementation of a number of Articles of the Law on Prevention and control of infectious diseases on measures for quarantine, involuntary quarantine, typical epidemic prevention;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 75/2017/ND-CP dated June 20, 2017 prescribing the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Health;

Pursuant to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 173/QD-TTg dated February 01, 2020 on the announcement of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV);

At the request of the Director of the General Department of Preventive Medicine – Ministry of Health,

DECIDES

Article 1.Issuing together with this Decision “The Guidance on the health quarantine at quarantine establishments for the prevention and control of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV)”.

Article 2.The Guidance on the health quarantine at quarantine establishments for the prevention and control of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV)”shall be applicable to all quarantine establishments under People’s Committees of municipalities or provinces where there are people required to be under health quarantine.

Article 3.This Decision shall take effect on the signing and issuance date.

Article 4.The Chief of Ministry office;  Directors of General departments, Departments under the Ministry of Health; Director of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology and Director of Pasteur Institute; Directors of Hospitals under the Ministry of Health; Directors of municipal and provincial Departments of Health; Heads in charge of Healthcare of sectors shall be responsible for implementing this Decision./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister

Do Xuan Tuyen

GUIDANCE

On the promulgation of “Guidance on the health quarantine at quarantine establishments for the prevention and control of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV)”

(Issued together with the Decision No. 344/QD-BYT dated February 07, 2020 of the Minister of Health)

I. Objective

To prevent the transmission of the acute pneumonia caused by new a strain of Coronavirus (nCoV).

II. Forms of quarantine

Health quarantine at quarantine establishments under regulations of the Law on Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (2007).

III. Quarantine subjects

1. People coming from or traveling across Hubei Province, China who enter Viet Nam within 14 days, from the date of entry.

2. Vietnamese people coming from or traveling across China (except for Hubei Province) who return to Viet Nam within 14 days, from the date of entry.

IV. Organization of quarantine areas

Quarantine areas for people coming from or traveling across Hubei Province, China who enter Viet Nam must be arranged separately from the quarantine areas of other subjects.

V. Quarantine period

Subject to a 14-day quarantine starting from the date of entry.

VI.Organization of quarantine

1. At border gates

International Medical Quarantine Unit and relevant units shall be responsible for:

a) Conducting health declarations and health quarantine for people upon their entry.

b) Reporting to the head of the border-gate authority to decide on the application of health quarantine measures.

c) Informing the contact person of a quarantined person in accordance with law regulations.

d) Sending written notices about the application of health quarantine measures for foreigners to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct procedures for notifying diplomatic missions of countries and territories whose people must be placed under quarantine.

dd) Conducting procedures for health quarantine at medical establishments as prescribed by the law for any person who shows suspected symptoms of NCoV at the border gate.

e) Distributing medical masks and providing instructions for isolated people to use masks correctly.

g) Sending people without signs of suspected disease (fever, cough, and shortness of breath) to quarantine establishments under municipal or provincial People s Committees.

h) Drivers and transportation assistants must wear protective and medical face masks during transportation; must wash hands with soap or antiseptic liquid after completing the task.

i) Such transportation means must be disinfected with chlorinated liquid with 0.5% active chlorine immediately after the transportation.

2. At quarantine establishments

2.1. Medical staff and employees of quarantine establishments shall be responsible for:

a) Organizing the reception and making a list of people under quarantine; receiving information about their family address, place of residence, personal phone number; name and phone number to contact when needed.

b) Informing such people of requirements, purposes and time of quarantine, explaining to make quarantined people agree and voluntarily participate in the quarantine.

c) Arranging quarantined people into isolation rooms, it is recommended that each quarantined person is arranged into a separate room; in case of group quarantine, beds for quarantined people must be placed at least 1 meter away from each other.

d) Distribute leaflets to prevent the disease and to instruct quarantined people to take self-preventive measures and measures to prevent infection to others, including: using and measuring body temperature at least 2 times (morning, afternoon) one day, self-monitoring health; implementing personal hygiene measures, wearing face masks, washing hands regularly with soap or other antiseptic liquids; informing medical staff as soon as showing any suspected symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath.

dd) Instructing quarantined people to collect used masks, towels, tissues cleaning nose and mouth separately and dispose them into waste bins for infectious wastes, such bins must have caps, covering bags, specific color and warning signs to signal that they contain infectious wastes (the handling of such wastes is prescribed in section VII of this Guidance). For other domestic wastes, collecting them in regular waste bins.

e) Sending reports of daily monitoring results to their provincial or municipal Department of Health and Center for Disease Control or Center for Preventive Medicine.

g) Monitoring the health status and measure the body temperature of quarantined people at least 2 times (morning, afternoon) a day. Making records of such results in the health monitoring form for quarantined people.

h) Strictly implementing regulations on the prevention of infection for medical staff in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Health when having contact with quarantined people.

i) Informing quarantined people the collection of nCoV test samples to classify quarantined people, of which it should be clearly stated that: People who are tested positive shall be transferred to medical establishments for the management, treatment and quarantine in accordance with the law; negative test results shall not eliminate the risk of nCoV infection, and people who are tested negative must conduct self-quarantine at home or at their place of residence until reaching 14 days as prescribed.

k) Cooperating with the municipal and provincial Center for Disease Control or Center for Preventive Medicine to collect nCoV test samples for quarantined people. Quarantined people with positive test results shall be transferred to medical establishments for the management, treatment and quarantine in accordance with the law; quarantine people with negative test results shall be monitored at home and at their places of residence until reaching 14 days as prescribed.

l) Immediately reporting to people in charge of the quarantine establishments, the Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control or Centers for Preventive Medicine of provinces and municipalities when any quarantined person shows symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath during the quarantine process. Taking measures to transfer people with fever, cough and shortness of breath to medical establishments to manage, treat, and quarantine such people under law regulations.

m) Reporting daily monitoring results to municipal or provincial Departments of Health and Centers for Disease Control or Centers for Preventive Medicine.

n) Being devoted, sharing, encouraging and helping quarantined people when performing the task to make such people feel comfortable during the monitoring process.

2.2. Quarantined people shall be responsible for:

a) Complying with quarantine regulations and internal regulations of quarantine establishments

b) Taking personal hygiene measures, wearing face masks, regularly washing hands with soap or other disinfectant liquids.

c) Measuring their body temperature at least 2 times (morning, afternoon) a day and monitor their health daily.

d) Informing medical staff in charge of monitoring their health as soon as there arises one of the following suspected symptoms: Fever, cough and shortness of breath.

dd) Limiting movement outside the quarantine room and limiting direct contact with other people in the quarantine area on a daily basis.

e) Collecting used face masks, tissues for cleaning nose and mouth separately to dispose into waste bins for infectious wastes - such bins must have caps, covering bags, specific color and warning signs to signal that they contain infectious wastes.

g) Collecting other domestic waste and dispose into ordinary waste bins.

h) Coordinating with medical staff to collect test samples.

2.3. Quarantine establishments:

a) Having internal regulations for quarantine areas.

b) Ensuring necessities for the daily life of the quarantine people. Providing meals for quarantined people during their quarantine period.

c) Forbidding mass gatherings in quarantine areas;

d) Ensuring food safety during quarantine period.

dd) Facilitating, encouraging, sharing and helping quarantined people so that such people can feel secure to be under quarantine.

e) Closely supervising the implementation of quarantine and conducting involuntary health quarantine if the quarantined people fail comply with the medical quarantine requirements.

g) Ensuring security and safety in quarantine areas.

2.4. Provincial or municipal People s Committees where the quarantine is held shall be responsible for:

a) Directing and organizing the quarantine and mobilizing resources for organizing quarantine; creating favorable conditions and support for quarantined people so that such people can feel secure to be under quarantine.

b) Closely inspecting and supervising the implementation of quarantine and coercively placing people under quarantine if such people fails to comply with the quarantine requirements.

VII. Prevention of infection at quarantine establishments

1. Quarantine establishments must ensure the prevention of infection at their establishments by performing hygienic ventilation, room ventilation, avoiding using air conditioners; cleaning the floors, doorknobs, and surfaces of objects in the room with antiseptic liquids or common detergents.

2. Providing medical face masks and instructing quarantined people to use face masks correctly.

3. At the entrance of rooms, restrooms, dining rooms, kitchens, there must be places for hand- washing with soap and disinfectant liquids for convenient use.

4. At the entrance of the quarantine area there must be carpets soaked in disinfecting liquid containing 0.5% active chlorine, carpets can be placed in plastic or metal trays for shoes disinfection. Disinfectant liquid containing 0.5% active chlorine must be refilled for such carpets after every 4 hours.

5. Such wastes as face masks, tissues for nose or mouth cleaning used by quarantined people must be collected, transported and treated as infectious wastes as follows: Bags containing used face masks, towels or tissue for cleaning mouth or nose must be placed in waste containers for infectious wastes - such containers must have caps, covering bags, specific color and warning signs to signal that they contain infectious wastes and must be tightly closed; the same procedure shall be applied to the next bags containing infectious wastes. Containers of infectious wastes must be hard-walled, having lids and wheels and must be transported to a temporary storage place in the establishment at least twice a day. Infectious wastes must be transported for treatment in the same day. Containers of infectious waste must be disinfected with an antiseptic liquid containing 0.5% active chlorine immediately after use.

6. Other domestic wastes shall be collected, transported and treated like ordinary wastes.

7. Vehicles used for transporting people who are infected or suspected of being infected must be disinfected with a disinfection liquid containing 0.5% active chlorine right after use.

8. Personal items such as clothing, blankets, dishes, cups must be washed with soaps or regular detergents.

9.  Quarantine establishments must limit the entry of unauthorized people to quarantine areas.

VIII. Handlings of infected cases or suspected cases at quarantine establishments

1. Immediately report to persons in charge of quarantine establishments, municipal, provincial or local Departments of Health and Centers for Disease Control or Centers for Preventive Medicine.

2. Move roommates of infected cases or suspected cases to a separate area that is not in the same place with other people under quarantine.

3. Coordinate with municipal or provincial Centers for Disease Control or Centers for Preventive Medicine to conduct epidemic investigations.

4. Transport infected cases or suspected cases to hospitals assigned by municipal or provincial People’s Committees for the management, treatment and collection of samples.

5. Centers for Disease Control or Centers for Preventive Medicine of provinces and municipalities shall conduct strict handlings of patient rooms in accordance with the Ministry of Health s regulations. Such patient rooms can only be used after being disinfected.

IX. Task fulfillment of quarantine establishments

After finishing the task, quarantine establishments shall focus on conducting the following works:

1. Carrying out procedures to complete tasks as prescribed by competent authorities.

2. Collecting wastes and conducting environmental sanitation practices.

3. Conducting the final disinfection for the quarantine areas by spraying disinfecting liquid containing 0.5% active chlorine.

4. Making a summary report on completing the quarantine task.

5. Sending summary report on implementation outcomes to local authorities and relevant functional agencies./.

For the Minister

The Deputy Minister,

Do Xuan Tuyen