Meanwhile, 19 recoveries were announced yesterday.

Tuoi Tre reports that yesterday, August 30, the Ministry of Health reported no new COVID-19 cases in Vietnam in a 24-hour period for the first time since July 25, when community transmission of the coronavirus returned, ending a 99-day streak of no new local infections.

No cases were announced this morning either, leaving the national total at 1,040, 690 of which were imported. Thus far, 695 patients have recovered, while 32 have died.

All of the deaths have occurred during this renewed outbreak, and most of those patients had serious underlying illnesses. Since July 25, 550 cases of community transmission have been detected, mostly in Da Nang and other central provinces, though cases have appeared as far afield as Lang Son and Saigon.

Amid this improving situation, Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc has ordered the Ministry of Transport to work more quickly toward resuming commercial flights to safe countries, particularly South Korea and Japan, which are huge labor markets for Vietnamese workers.

However, should flights resume, they would still be focused on Vietnamese nationals and foreign experts, while there has been no discussion of relaxing quarantine regulations.

Phúc also announced that, starting from September 1, Vietnam will impose accommodation fees on all returnees from abroad at quarantine facilities across the country. Treatment and testing of COVID-19 continue to be free for Vietnamese nationals.