'Vietnam is tackling the rampant respiratory disease Coronavirus well', assures PM Phuc

Vietnam has introduced specific solutions to tackle the acute respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) and is controlling it well, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said on Thursday.

Addressing a meeting with permanent Cabinet members and representatives of ministries and agencies in Hanoi, Phuc urged localities and agencies to plan their own measures to counter the rapid spread of the virus

He added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working on rescuing the Vietnamese from China, and stressed that tours to the country, and vice versa, must also be banned along with trading activities at border gates.

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Announces measures to prevent spread on Coronavirus 

PM Phuc asked the army, public security forces and the health sector to closely manage passengers crossing border gates. He directed that those coming from China must undergo quarantine for 15 days. Besides this, Phuc also imposed prohibition on wildlife trade.

As Vietnam holds the ASEAN Chairmanship, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should create high consent in jointly fighting against the disease, the Prime Minister said.

"Local steering committees for prevention and control of nCoV would help improve the efficiency of the combat," Phuc said.

He asked the media the fight against Coronavirus as a political task, and the Ministry of Justice to make legal arrangements as soon as the World Health Organisation (WHO) announces an emergency status.

READ | No Reason To Restrict International Travel & Trade Over Coronavirus, Says WHO

Five confirmed cases in Vietnam

At the meeting, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen informed that as of Thursday afternoon, three people had tested positive, raising the total number cases of in the country to five.

While one of the three is being treated at the General Hospital in Thanh Hoa, the other two are under treatment at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases. All the infected are Vietnamese nationals who returned from China's Wuhan city where the first case of Coronavirus was reported.

According to the Health Ministry, as of 12 pm, on Thursday, over 7,700 people were infected by the deadly virus in China, and there were confirmed cases in over 19 countries worldwide, with the death toll surging to 200, including 162 in Wuhan.

The ministry suggested establishing five working groups to inspect the prevention and control of Coronavirus in localities, with a special focus on areas at high risk of being affected by the disease.

READ | Vietnam Confirms First 2 Cases Of Deadly New Virus

(Inputs and image from ANI)