Nguyễn Văn Nên, secretary of the HCM City Party Committee, speaks at a meeting on Thursday about a plan to gradually reopen the economy in the "new normal". — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — HCM City will “carefully” reopen its economy in the “new normal” situation with a focus on ensuring sufficient medical staff, vaccines and medicine, a city official has said.

Speaking at a meeting on October 14, Nguyễn Văn Nên, secretary of the city Party Committee, said the city would need a “long-term, safe and flexible” response for pandemic prevention in the “new normal”.

“A number of mobile teams with sufficient medical force and equipment must be ready to deal with future outbreaks,” he said.

The health sector would prepare personnel and medical equipment for the future, especially after medical staff from other parts of the country leave the city after October 15.

“The city will need to have pandemic prevention drills.”

Nên said that COVID-19 cases would continue. “There must be a force available to contain any outbreak immediately to stop the spread that could result in overloading at hospitals.”

“Drugs, vaccines and rapid tests are all needed,” he added.

The number of daily deaths had now fallen to a two-digit number (around 60 cases), which was still high, he said.

“The city aims to have no more deaths.”

The city will organise a funeral ceremony for compatriots, cadres, soldiers and people who have died of the virus. It also has plans to care for orphans and elderly people without family support after the pandemic, according to Nên.

In addition, it plans to develop social housing projects for workers, including building one million low-cost housing units for workers and low-income people.

The city will continue to encourage people to stay in the city and not travel. It will, however, organise trips to help people in need return to their hometowns.

Nen noted that the city had not met its socio-economic targets for the year due to the impact of the pandemic. 

Economic recovery

Lê Hòa Bình, vice chairman of the People’s Committee, said that city authorities at all levels had begun developing economic recovery plans in line with each district’s pandemic control situation. 

The tourism sector has plans to restore operations with priority given to districts that have controlled the outbreak, according to Bình.

Recently, city authorities asked the central Government for a policy for the city's reopening of economy.

To reopen the economy, at least 80 per cent of people aged over 50 must be fully vaccinated, 100 per cent of grassroots medical stations should have medical oxygen, and every commune must set up mobile medical groups to take care of COVID patients, according to the Ministry of Health.

Also speaking at the meeting, Phan Thị Thắng, vice chairwoman of the People’s Committee, said the medium-term public investment plan for 2021-2025 would allocate about VNĐ119.4 trillion from city revenue to develop major public projects. 

The city would allocate VNĐ122.5 trillion for 203 projects included in the city’s four development programmes, and other projects proposed by authorities in districts and Thủ Đức City, and social security projects, she said.

From 2021-2025, the city would call for investment in the form of public-private partnerships in key projects such as Cần Giờ Bridge, Thủ Thiêm 4 Bridge, the first elevated road route, and others.

As of October 15, nearly 100 per cent of people aged 18 and over in HCM City had received the first vaccine dose, and around 75 per cent had been fully vaccinated.

The city would continue to speed up vaccinations. Children aged 12 to 18 would be vaccinated later according to national guidelines.

HCM City has had more than 414,000 COVID cases since late April, when the fourth wave began. More than 15,900 people have died of COVID-19 in the city. — VNS