Vietnam requests people to stay home to prevent coronavirus spread

People were asked to stay at home by the country’s Ministry of Health on Thursday and to only leave their homes for a small set of essential reasons, Vietnam News has reported.

The request was made Thursday morning after 14 new cases of the Covid-19 in the country were confirmed in the last 24 hours, taking the total so far to 148.

The ministry said people needed to stay inside except for a small number of reasons, and that people over 60 should stay inside completely as they were at high-risk from the virus.

It said that people should notify authorities about those who had entered the country since March 8 and had not been quarantined.

All non-essential services in the capital have been ordered to close to help prevent the spread of Covid-19.

At a Government Standing Committee Meeting on Thursday Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc thanked the localities of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Can Tho and many others for closing services, limiting gatherings and acting promptly to contain the disease.

The coronavirus has been confirmed in nearly 200 countries and regions worldwide, infecting over 470,000 people and killing more than 21,000.