A village festival in Vietnam. (Photo: VNA)

In an official document sent to the Government on anti-pandemic measures during the Lunar New Year festival, the ministry said many localities are still recording a large number of COVID-19 cases in the community, especially in localities with high population density, high rates of trade and travel activities.

In addition, the Omicron variant is spreading rapidly, with complicated and unpredictable developments in many countries around the world.

In a separate move, the Ministry of Health also asked local administrations and the National Institute for Hygiene and Epidemiology to enhance surveillance for the Omicron variant.

All arrivals into the country since November 28, 2021, who have tested positive for coronavirus through the RT-PCR method or NAAT (Nucleic Acid Amplification Test) within 14 days of entry, will have their samples taken for genomic sequencing.

If the Omicron variant is detected, all close contacts of the infected will also be tested and all positive samples will be further analysed as well.