By Roy Mabasa
“Zero COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) cases among Filipinos in Vietnam,” Philippine Embassy Chargè d’Affaires Paul Vincent Uy said on Friday as he praised the Vietnamese government for its implementation of “effective and quick” interventions to prevent the spread of the disease.
Uy said most of the Filipinos in Vietnam have already returned to their respective workplaces since April 22, 2020 when the government there eased down lockdown restrictions and allowed the opening of malls, shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
There are an estimated 5,000 Filipinos in Vietnam.
As of Friday, there are only 328 cases of COVID-19 infections in Vietnam, with no deaths, and 302 recoveries, according to the coronavirus online monitoring platform Worldometer.
Uy attributed the few COVID-19 cases in Vietnam to its early implementation of several immediate interventions as early as January 11, 2020.
He noted that Vietnam effectively and quickly controlled the spread of the virus by closing its land borders with China and the rest of its neighboring countries; cancelling all international flights; establishing quarantine centers; rigid contact tracing where the information of everyone is disseminated to the public; postponing classes; offering free testing and treatment to Vietnamese nationals, and implementing health protocols like social distancing.
“Vietnam has learned its lesson from the SARS epidemic where a lot of Vietnamese doctors died. So, they already established treatment centers for these kinds of illnesses,” he added.
Although no Filipinos were afflicted with COVID-19, Uy said the Embassy is continuously extending assistance to those who are stranded, those under the no work-no pay scheme, and those employed in companies that have closed down due to the pandemic.
Uy said the embassy provides four kinds of assistance such as repatriation, representation with the Vietnamese immigration for the extension of expired visas, provision of shelter and food, and the cash assistance of US$200 through the Akap program of the Department of Labor and Employment.
The Embassy has repatriated 145 Filipinos, provided food and shelter to 66 individuals, and cash assistance to six.