The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has requested COVID-19-hit areas to cancel the organisation of festivals and cultural activities of mass gatherings in an effort to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

A rare deserted scene seen at a pagoda (Photo: VNA)

The ministry on 29 January sent an official dispatch to the People’s Committees of centrally-run provinces and cities asking them to perform urgent COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Accordingly, the localities are recommended to make decisions on whether to cancel or stop local sport events based on their actual conditions. All sport-related facilities must strictly follow regulations on pandemic prevention and control.

In localities where COVID-19 infection cases in the community are detected, karaoke and disco parlors and cultural activities with mass gatherings must be temporarily shut down.

In provinces and cities without COVID-19 clusters, the scale and duration of festivals are should be reduced, with their forms changed to suit the current situation and pandemic prevention regulations must be strictly implemented.

Meanwhile, festival organisers, management boards of cultural, historical, and scenic sites, as well as heads of museums, cinemas, and libraries, among others are responsible for monitoring people’s compliance with regulations and stepping up sanitation and disinfection.

The ministry also asked for stronger prevention and control measures and strict fines imposed on violations of the regulations in the culture, sports and tourism sector.

Source: VNA