HCMC – The Government has set a target that HCMC will bring the Covid-19 pandemic under control before September 15, while its neighboring provinces of Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai will try to combat the pandemic prior to September 1.
According to the Government’s resolution on urgent solutions to fight the Covid-19 pandemic issued today, August 10, other localities should bring the pandemic under control before August 25, the local media reported.
Localities practicing social distancing in line with the prime minister’s directives 15 and 16 must ensure practical and strict compliance with anti-pandemic regulations.
During the 14-day social distancing period, localities must determine and protect coronavirus-free areas, work out roadmaps and solutions to reduce the infection in areas with a risk and a high risk of pandemic transmission and downsize extremely-high-risk areas. Within 28 days, the pandemic must be controlled.
Localities must also come up with solutions to meet the demand for food and essential products for residents.
Chairpersons of cities and provinces will decide anti-pandemic measures in their localities in line with directives 15, 16 or 19. However, these measures must be applied drastically from the beginning.
Based on their situation, localities can limit vehicles, ask residents not to venture out during certain hours and ban residents from leaving pandemic-hit localities.
As for Covid-19 testing, the Ministry of Health was assigned to provide scientific instructions and recommend medical equipment and test kits that localities can proactively buy.
Localities must quickly test high-risk people to detect Covid-19 carriers. HCMC and its neighboring provinces, which are seeing the fast and wide transmission of the virus, need to reduce the number of critical patients and deaths.
The relevant ministries were asked to enhance the access of Covid-19 vaccine sources to meet the local vaccination demand and reach herd immunity soon.
The Ministry of Health should prioritize localities with a high number of Covid-19 cases and deaths, fast and complicated pandemic developments and many industrial parks while distributing Covid-19 vaccines.
The Government also assigned the relevant units to accelerate the research and trial and also transfer the production technology, license and production of Covid-19 vaccines and antivirals.
In addition, production must be maintained to limit supply chain disruptions.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was asked to propose immigration policies appropriate to the new situation and the employment of Covid-19 vaccine passports in Vietnam.
Vietnam has recorded more than 220,900 Covid-19 cases across the country in the current wave, which began in late April. HCMC has accounted for most of the cases, at some 128,000, followed by its neighboring localities of Binh Duong, Long An and Dong Nai with around 32,000, 10,700 and 8,800 cases, respectively.
HCMC, Binh Duong and Dong Nai have imposed social distancing under Directive 16 since July 9, and 16 other southern localities since July 19.
