Deputy PM stresses prevention of COVID-19 transmission in industrial parks

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has asked localities to do their best to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading in factories, especially at industrial parks (IPs).

Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaking at the conference (Photo: VGP)
Deputy PM Vu Duc Dam speaking at the conference (Photo: VGP)

During an online meeting with permanent members of COVID-19 prevention and control steering committees and leaders of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces and Da Nang on May 12, Dam hailed their efforts in responding swiftly and responsibly to the pandemic.

The Deputy PM noted that Vietnam is now home to 369 IPs and nearly 30 border gates and processing zones with 3.8 million workers, and around 700 industrial clusters with 600,000 workers. Since early on, the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control has required strict enforcement of pandemic prevention in those areas, he said, pointing out that if IPs are hit by the pandemic, production and supply chains would be disrupted, putting negative effects on the national economy.

He stressed that all localities nationwide must quickly direct enterprises, factories, and IPs to periodically update their anti-pandemic work on the COVID-19 safe living map at http://antoancovid.vn.

The health ministry has been assigned to step up the licensing of new testing technologies and to issue specific guidelines to localities on how to use testing methods in different cases and in areas with varying degrees of risk.

Cities and provinces nationwide must popularise prevention and control regulations to enterprises with many workers, particularly those at IPs. Businesses must also actively join in periodic virus screening to ensure safe production.

The Deputy PM ordered quarantine facilities to be kept ready to prevent cross-infection in poor conditions in quarantine. He also directed the Minister of Industry and Trade to work closely with the Ministry of Health to hold a nationwide training conference to ensure safe industrial production, especially at IPs.