A soldier and a volunteer buy goods to support people in social distancing in HCM City. — Photo tuoitre.vn

HCM CITY — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chinh has instructed the Minister of Public Security to penalise people cancelling orders for foods and other essential products they place with troops and volunteers who pool them to buy amid the total lockdown in many localities.

The Government Office said military and police personnel and volunteers buy and deliver foods and other stuff since people are prohibited from leaving home.

But in some places there have been cases of people cancelling orders, causing difficulties to the troops and volunteers and angering the public.

This has even been reported in the media.

Many localities have reported about people not accepting delivery or cancelling orders, turning off their phones when military and volunteers try to contact them to deliver goods, and saying they just wanted to check if it actually worked.

In order to ensure the efficiency of social distancing in HCM City, the military and police personnel have helped community-based COVID-prevention groups and volunteers shop and deliver food to people once a week from August 23.

People can register and pay for their food through support teams at their residential zones.

Needy and COVID-affected people will receive food and other essential goods.

The People’s Committee has instructed the Department of Trade and Industry and large supermarket chains like Co.opmart, Lotte, Bách Hóa Xanh, and Vinmart to work with authorities in all 21 districts and Thủ Đức City to ensure distribution of goods.

According to statistics, the city’s population is nearly 9.4 million, and the average daily consumption is 10,964 tonnes of rice, meat, fruits, vegetables, and processed foods. — VNS