Many businesses in HCM City are providing essential items for workers to stay back on their premises to remain open amid the lockdown. Photo: nld.com.vn

HCM CITY — Many HCM City businesses have made plans to set up temporary accommodation for their workers to ensure they can continue operating amid the intense COVID-19 outbreak.

According to the HCM City Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority (HEPZA), 100 enterprises have furnished such plans.

Nguyễn Đặng Hiến, general director of Bidrico, told Người Lao Động (Labour) newspaper his company has accommodation for over 300 workers.

The company has signed up a hospital to test its 328 workers for COVID before they start to stay in the factory.          

"The company cafeteria normally only serves breakfast for about 50 people, but now it can serve three meals a day for over 300," Hiến said.

“We are also improving other facilities to ensure [good] living conditions for workers.”

VEXOS Vietnam Co., Ltd in the Tân Thuân Export Processing Zone in District 7 has switched to a closed production process and has encouraged workers to live on the factory premises since July 8.

It provides them with all essential daily items from pillows, blankets and mattresses to towels and soaps.

It has also renovated the restroom area to create bathrooms, and installed a vending machine.

Phạm Thị Châu, head of the company's human resources department, said workers who agree to stay in the factory are paid double their salary.

The deputy head of the Saigon Hi-Tech Park management, Lê Thị Bích Loan, said foreign enterprises such as Intel, Schneider and others have rented hotel rooms nearby for their workers.

The head of the Business Association of the Saigon Hi-Tech Park, Hồ Uyên, said to minimise the spread of at factories, businesses have been increasing the frequency of testing.

HCM City has 1.6 million workers, 320,000 of them working in 17 industrial parks and manufacturing zones.

Many factories in the districts of Bình Tân, Bình Chánh, Củ Chi, and 7 have been shut since COVID infections were found there.

In neighbouring provinces too businesses have started implementing plans to create safe conditions for workers.

In Long An, 362 businesses have submitted plans for approval by province authorities.

In Bến Tre, the province Department of Planning and Investment has instructed businesses to close down if they do not meet pandemic prevention and control conditions. — VNS