Nguyễn Văn Được, Secretary of the Long An Province Party Committee, listens to business executives at a meeting between them and province authorities held to discuss relaxation of COVID restrictions. — VNA/VNS Photo Bùi Giang

HCM CITY — Long An Province has started to gradually reopen its economy, its Party Committee Secretary, Nguyễn Văn Được, has said.

It would initially allow enterprises that have workers living on-site and those produce essential goods and participate in global supply chains to resume operations, he said.

After October 15, depending on the COVID-19 situation, it would allow the resumption of more business activities and further loosen restrictions, he said.

The province held an online dialogue on September 15 with enterprises based in industrial parks to discuss reopening.

Được said epidemic prevention and control efforts so far have had positive results, and the province has vaccinated almost everyone aged above 18 years and is speeding up their second shot, with priority given to factory workers.

He told the business executives at the meeting to pay attention to healthcare for workers living on-site, regular COVID testing and proactive handling when infections are discovered.

The province would “actively support and create favourable conditions” for businesses to resume operations, he promised.

Many delegates called on the province to create conditions for their employees who live in HCM City to come to work in the province and reconsider the mandate that enterprises need to have shuttle buses to transport their workers.

Nguyễn Minh Tuấn, HR director of Avery Dennison RIS in Long Hậu Industrial Park, Cần Giuộc District, said his company has around 3,000 workers, but only 800 stay on-site to work as required.

Of the employees 2,000 live in HCM City, including 150 experts, he said.

Therefore, the company wants the province to enable them, especially experts, to commute to Long An for work so that it can resume normal functioning, he said.

Nguyễn Thành Thanh, head of the Long An Economic Zone Authority, said the province would create favourable conditions for experts to come to work, but businesses need to comply with safety regulations and the experts have to stay in the province temporarily instead of commuting every day.

Provincial authorities at the meeting also provided specific guidance related to resuming business activities and supporting testing, among other things.

The People's Committee has issued guidelines for resuming business activities from September 15 to October 15.

During this period an enterprise is only allowed to operate with 50 per cent of the workforce at a time and workers have to temporarily live in Long An.

They must have gotten at least one dose of a COVID vaccine and have a negative RT-PCR test result within the last 72 hours.

Employers need to test them periodically.

If a worker wants to go home, the company must organize transportation and not allow them to use personal vehicles.

Only workers who have had two doses of vaccines should be allowed to travel by personal vehicles. — VNS