>>> Bac Giang suspends operation of four industrial zones for COVID-19 control
Yesterday morning, the delegation inspected the actual situation at the hot spot of Quang Chau Industrial Park, visited those on duty at Bac Giang Field Hospital No. 1, and worked with local authorities on measures to stamp out the current outbreaks.
Health Minister Long said that his ministry has decided to establish a standing unit dedicated to fighting the epidemic in the two neighbouring provinces, led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Truong Son as the commander-in-chief.
The minister assigned the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Medical University and National Children's Hospital to strengthen support on testing to Bac Giang, while supporting additional 20,000 PCR products along with additional face masks and protective clothing to the province, as well as supporting diagnosis and treatment of severely-ill COVID-19 cases through the remote medical examination and treatment system when necessary.
Connected online at the working session with Bac Giang authorities, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, suggested that the Health Ministry and Bac Giang Province need to accelerate testing, implement social distancing, and block a number of areas and industrial parks tightly, but must continue to maintain activities of factories and ensure safety against COVID-19.
Deputy PM Dam asked the ministry’s working group in Bac Giang to flexibly transfer asymptomatic COVID-19 cases to concentrated isolation camps and close monitor them to reduce the load on local hospitals. The Ministry of Information and Communications should focus on installing 1,000 cameras in all isolation rooms and connecting with the central agencies for close supervision in line with regulations.
On the afternoon of the same day, in Bac Ninh City, Minister Long and his entourage had a working session with Bac Ninh Province’s authorities and inspected the epidemic prevention and control work at Gortex Factory in Que Vo Industrial Park.
Long suggested that Bac Ninh review foreign experts and people who have entered the locality in recent times for testing, as well as reviewing all people coming from Bac Giang and performing sample collecting for COVID-19 testing on local workers once a week.
The Ministry of Health assigned Hanoi Medical University to support Bac Ninh in taking samples and testing, while supporting the province 10,000 biological samples for testing, two million face masks and ventilators according to the needs of the province.
Facing the complicated developments of the epidemic, Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee has assigned the People's Committees of Thuan Thanh District and Bac Ninh City, which are implementing strict social distancing orders, to limit the frequency of going to the market for local people. Accordingly, each household is given five cards to go to the market within 15 days that allow them to go to the market once every three days to buy essential goods.
At the same time, the committee requested localities in Bac Ninh to temporarily suspend business and service establishments, except for supermarkets, wet markets, convenience stores and medical establishments. In particular, factories and production facilities continue to maintain their activities in conditions of absolute safety and fully implement all epidemic prevention measures.
On May 18, Vinh Phuc Provincial People's Committee issued a written request to relevant authorities, localities and businesses in the province to strengthen epidemic prevention and control after organising COVID-19 testing at local enterprises.
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Taking samples for COVID-19 testing from employees of Prime Joint Stock Company in Vinh Phuc Province. (Photo: NDO/Ha Hong Ha)
Accordingly, workers are not permitted to go to work during the quarantine period. During at work, if there are unusual signs of cough, fever, fatigue, sore throat or difficulty in breathing, labourers must immediately report to the medical staff at the workplace for instructions. Vinh Phuc’s businesses are requested to suspend the receipt and recruitment of workers from epidemic hit areas until the epidemic is controlled and there are new instructions from the Provincial People's Committee.
Local units have developed plans and scenarios to host the upcoming national elections amid COVID-19 according to each specific situation to ensure safety.
Vinh Phuc authorities have decided to end medical blockage on Vinh Yen City from 0:00 on May 19. Previously, medical isolation in epidemic areas in Tien Phong Village (Tan Phong Commune, Binh Xuyen District) was lifted at 20:01 on May 18.
Hai Phong City issued new document on May 18 defining that local people should not leave their homes from 10 pm until 5 am the next morning unless absolutely necessary, and not gather in groups of more than 10 people in public places or outside of offices, schools and hospitals.
At the same time, local catering shops stop serving customers on the spot, only selling take-away goods; stop the operation of stalls dealing in non-essential goods at markets and shopping centres; and stop organising weddings while limiting the number of participants to the maximum extent at funeral ceremonies. Operation of public buses and passenger cars has been stopped, while taxi companies only operate 30% of their cars and carry no more than 50% of the seats.
Also on May 18, Da Nang City began a large-scale testing for households across the city, in order to better serve and ensure safety against the COVID-19 epidemic during the upcoming national elections.
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Da Nang conducts a large-scale COVID-19 testing on local households at the Cultural House in An Hai Bac Ward, Son Tra District, May 18, 2021. (Photo: NDO/Anh Dao)
It is expected that about 80,000 people across the city, including more than 12,200 members of election teams, will be sampled for testing within three next days. In addition, about 50,000 workers in industrial zones in the city continued to be sampled for testing.
On the same day, more support was sent to two "hot spots" in Bac Giang and Bac Ninh to support local authorities, forces and people in fighting against COVID-19.
The Department of Medical Examination and Treatment (Ministry of Health) sent an official request to Bach Mai Hospital urging for the immediate sending of a team of specialists on ECMO intensive resuscitation to Bac Ninh while providing on-site mechanical support to the Bac Ninh Provincial General Hospital.
On the morning of May 18, the Department of Health of Thai Nguyen Province sent 51 medical staff, along with 25,500 medical masks, 600 antigen rapid test kits and two ambulances to support Bac Giang.
On the same day, Hai Phong City agreed to spend VND13 billion to support 11 provinces and cities to prevent and control the epidemic, with Bac Giang receiving VND3 billion and Bac Ninh VND2 billion.
The People's Committee of Da Nang City decided to support the two provinces of Bac Giang and Bac Ninh with 6,000 biological tests for SARS-CoV-2 each, worth VND3 billion each.
On the afternoon of May 18, the Vietnam Prosperity Commercial Joint Stock Bank (VPBank) presented VND5 billion in cash to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Bac Giang to help the province promptly procure medical protective tools and equipment. In addition, VPBank also sponsored the Vietnam Young Physicians Association VND5 billion to deploy mobile container testing laboratories in provinces and cities across the country, including in Bac Giang. Each container is expected to be capable of testing 10,000 samples per day.
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Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Dong Thap Province Le Thanh Cong (R) receives VND11.5 billion from a representative of the Dong Thap Province Lottery Single-Member Limited Liability Company. (Photo: Van Khuong)
On the same day, Dong Thap Province’s Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee received VND11.5 billion from Dong Thap Lottery Single-Member Limited Liability Company to support the local epidemic prevention and control fund. With the funding, the committee has promptly transferred support to the frontline forces, quarantine areas and overseas Vietnamese in Cambodia.
On May 18, in Bau Bang District, Binh Duong Province, Becamex IDC Corporation presented 1,000 health insurance cards with a value of more than VND800 million sponsored by the corporation to disadvantaged local people due to the impact of COVID-19 in seven communes and towns in Bau Bang.
In Hanoi on the same day, Do Van Chien, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, received VND45.7 billion from a group of Vietnamese orchid lovers to join hands with the Party and State to repel the spread of COVID-19.
