US names Vietnam among high-risk Delta variant countries
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its travel warnings Tuesday to include Vietnam in the group of high-risk countries due to rising infection numbers.
Sixty-five countries and territories, including Vietnam, India, Japan, Cambodia and the Philippines have been listed as level 3, or those posing high Covid-19 risks in the agency’s latest travel advisory.
The agency has warned unvaccinated travelers to limit non-essential travel to Vietnam. Due to the current pandemic situation in the country, all travelers may be at risk of contracting or spreading Covid variants, it said.
If American citizens must travel to Vietnam for essential purposes, they are advised to get fully vaccinated before arrival and follow local recommendations and requirements like wearing a mask and staying two meters away from others.
U.S. citizens returning from Vietnam are required to obtain a negative Covid test result no more than three days before travel or documentation proving recovery from Covid issued in the past three months before boarding a flight to the States.
They should undergo a viral test three to five days after returning from Vietnam and self-monitor for Covid symptoms.
On Aug. 3, the U.S. CDC put Vietnam into a group of countries at level 2 with ‘moderate’ Covid travel risks.
Vietnam is currently facing its most challenging outbreak so far, triggered by the Delta variant, prompting several countries to ban or impose stricter quarantine measures for travelers from the country.
In the ongoing Covid-19 wave that hit Vietnam in late April, the nation has recorded nearly 229,000 infections.
By Nguyen Quy – VnExpress.net – August 11, 2021