HCMC – Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh during a working session with the authorities of HCMC today, June 1, asked the city to make all-out efforts to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in two weeks.
During the latest coronavirus wave in the country, the city has promptly adopted drastic measures to cope with the disease. The city needs to be more determined to cushion its spread, he said.
The deputy PM added that new infections in the city could rise in the upcoming time, but he believed the city would manage to bring the outbreak under control.
Besides this, he demanded that the city review its efforts to combat the coronavirus during this wave as the city and other localities have seen a surge in cases.
According to Binh, the outbreak in HCMC originated from a religious sect. He said the city has to review regulations to license and monitor the operations of such religious sects. The city has around 145 active religious sects whose operations need to be checked.
He sought to know why the local authorities and police were not aware of such a religious sect whose operations did not comply with Covid-19 safety measures. Thus, he ordered the city’s authorities as well as local competent forces to tighten control over their assigned localities.
Stating that the Covid-19 risk remains extremely high at industrial and export processing zones, he said the city must deploy Covid-19 safety protocols and map out detailed plans to monitor compliance with anti-epidemic regulations at these facilities.
He also requested the Ministry of Health to consider introducing policies enabling the city to mobilize social funds to access various Covid-19 vaccine supplies under the surveillance of the ministry.
In addition, the city has to work out Covid-19 response scenarios in which the city would have 30,000-50,000 or even 100,000 infections, and study Covid-19 relief packages to support affected businesses.
In related news, Vu Chien Thang, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, suggested at the working session that the city suspend the operation of the Revival Ekklesia Mission, a religious sect in the city’s Go Vap District, to probe into the Covid-19 transmission case. Based on the investigation results, the city could consider withdrawing the license of the religious sect.
