Ensuring food safety and hygiene in paid quarantine areas: Strengthening inspection and self-compliance

(LSO) – Together with the Covid-19 prevention and control, to ensure food safety and hygiene, over the past month, authorities have increased inspection in paid quarantine facilities. These facilities have also voluntarily obeyed regulations on food safety.

In order to ensure the “dual goals” of the economic development and the effective epidemic combat, Lang Son province has implemented concentrated quarantine with voluntary payment for those who enter Vietnam. Accordingly, the whole province has currently had 13 restaurant and hotel establishments serving the concentrated quarantine work paid by quarantined people. From June 12 to July 14, 2020, the establishments quarantined 1,024 foreign experts working in Vietnam, of whom 528 people completed their 14-day quarantine and returned to the community. 496 people are being quarantined. In order to ensure food safety, contributing to the effective disease prevention and control for the quarantined, the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department advised the Department of Health to issue a document to request district and city health centers to coordinate with functional agencies to guide concentrated quarantine establishments to well perform food safety and hygiene. At the same time, inspection and supervision missions have been set up for quarantine areas.

The official of the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department checked the storage of food samples at Hoa Sim Restaurant

Mr. Vi Viet Thinh, Chief Inspector of the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department said that in addition to regular inspections, the Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department has set up missions to inspect and supervise food business establishments, convenience food processing facilities for restaurants, hotels serving concentrated quarantine objects in the Covid-19 prevention and control. Over the past month, the mission has inspected and supervised 12 hotels, guest houses, restaurants, and convenience food processing stalls serving customers. The inspection shows that the units seriously ensure food safety and hygiene in accordance with regulations on food safety. Meal rations for quarantined citizens are divided in foam boxes, disposable plastic cups and after use they are processed according to the process.

At Muong Thanh Luxury Lang Son Hotel, Lang Son city, along with the quarantine, the hotel always ensures good implementation of regulations on food safety and hygiene. Mrs. Doan Thi Huong Sao, Deputy Director of the hotel, said that the hotel always strictly complies with regulations on food safety and hygiene, arranging a separate cooking area to serve quarantined guests. All the ingredients are of clear origin, the dishes are varied and full of nutrition. The hotel absolutely does not accept outside goods and food for guests in the quarantine area so food safety and hygiene is guaranteed. In the past month, the hotel has quarantined 302 people, of whom, 155 cases completed their 14-day quarantine, 147 cases are being quarantined. Up to now, the hotel has recorded no incidents or no cases’ health affected due to the use of food and drink services at the hotel.

The official of the Provincial Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department checked the storage of food samples for quarantined guests at Muong Thanh Luxury Lang Son Hotel, Lang Son city

Thanks to good quarantine measures, food safety and hygiene to serve quarantined customers, over the past time, many quarantined guests are satisfied with the attitude of service, care, health and safety assurance when using food and drink services at hotels and guest houses with concentrated quarantine. Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, the representative of Viet Nam HONOR Science & Technology Co., Ltd., located in Hai Phong, said that the company has 28 foreign experts quarantined in Hoa Sim Hotel, Lang Son city. Up to now, 28 people have completed their 14-day quarantine. The experts of the company have all evaluated that the quarantine work, quarantine services are very good. In particular, rations of food and drinks are hygienic, delicious, meeting their taste so everyone is healthy and satisfied.

In the coming time, the Food Safety and Hygiene Sub-Department will continue to coordinate to periodically or unexpectedly check, supervise restaurants, hotels, food stalls that provide catering services for quarantined people. Hotels, guest houses and restaurants serving meal rations for quarantined guests will continue to perform well their commitments to strictly comply with food safety and hygiene and ensure food safety conditions when providing food, drinks and catering services for quarantined people, significantly contributing to the success in the Covid-19 prevention and control in the province in particular and the country in general.