Hastening clearance and ensuring epidemic prevention at border areas near Laos and Cambodia

Means of transport shipping goods through Cha Lo international border gate are sprayed antispectic. Photo: Q. Hùng

The General Department directed the Customs Departments of the border provinces bordering Laos and Cambodia to advise the Provincial People's Committee to coordinate with authorities at the border gates to study the medical quarantine model for vehicle operators transporting goods exported and imported through the border gate area which have been effectively implemented in some northern border provinces like Lao Cai and Lang Son.

Proactively organising or advising border gate authorities, the provincial People's Committee should organise bilateral talks with the Customs authorities, the governments of the border provinces of Laos and Cambodia to discuss solutions for promptly removing difficulties, problems for import and export activities ensuring epidemic prevention and comply with the law of each country.

The provincial Customs Departments should direct its Customs branches to process customs procedures in accordance with regulations, coordinating with the competent authority at border gates to supervise the movement of means of transport and vehicle operators transporting import-export goods (without passengers) in the area of ​​customs operation to ensure the prevention of risks of disease transmission.

Besides that, units should strengthen the fight against smuggling and cross-border trade fraud, especially surgical masks, equipment, protective clothes, clothing, gloves and hand used in medicine.

Along with that, units need to strictly implement the directives, resolutions and directive documents of the Government, the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Finance and the General Department of Vietnam Customs relating to prevention and control of Covid-19.

Guidance of the General Department of Vietnam Customs should be implemented in terms of Notification No. 102/TB-VPCP of the Government Office dated March 17, 2020 about the conclusions of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the meeting of the Government on prevention and control of Covid -19 epidemic, including concentrated isolation for people who entered from ASEAN countries within 14 days from date of entry.

At the same time, solving goods congestion at the border gate as well as ensuring the customs management at the border amid acute respiratory infections caused by a new strain of coronavirus (Covid- 19 epidemic) developing complicatedly.