It said in a document issued Thursday that people living in the same house, moving in the same vehicles or in the same group at workplaces, trips or parties with Covid-19 cases are now no longer considered close contacts.
Contact within two meters of Covid-19 cases by itself doesn't make someone a close contact as well. Only unmasked people making contact within the range are considered close contacts, while masked people must make contact within the range for at least 15 minutes to qualify as a close contact.
Other categories that qualify someone as close contacts of Covid-19 cases are direct skin contact like shaking hands, hugging or kissing, and those who directly take care of or treat Covid-19 cases without proper protective equipment.
The new adjustments to what makes someone a close contact of a Covid-19 case will help authorities better detect and monitor infections in the "new normal" situation, the ministry said.
Under current policies, fully vaccinated close contacts of Covid-19 cases are allowed to home quarantine.
Vietnam has recorded nearly 1.7 million Covid-19 cases and 31,877 deaths to date.