Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam chairs the teleconference with representatives of the country's 63 provinces and cities to discuss anti-pandemic tasks in Hà Nội on Friday. — VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam said yesterday that despite numerous hardships, Việt Nam would overcome the COVID-19 pandemic if ministries, agencies, localities and the public worked together. 

Chairing a teleconference with representatives of the country's 63 provinces and cities to discuss anti-pandemic tasks, Đam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, said the pandemic would persist while medicines and vaccines were being developed, so the country must not lower its guard and instead continue to stop the disease from spreading while developing the economy at the same time. 

He called on all people to continue following the instructions given by Party General Secretary, President Nguyễn Phú Trọng, the Politburo, the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister and the steering committee, as well as guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. 

Đam said the first step was to continue monitoring entry and exits by air, water and road, except those on diplomatic, public service or business missions. Suspected cases must be put under quarantine immediately and at-risk areas zoned off and sprayed with disinfectant. 

The official highlighted the need to further classify at-risk groups at communal, district and even village levels, which required daily updates.

He reiterated that citizens must wear masks when they go out, keep a safe distance from others, regularly wash their hands with soap and sanitiser, and not gather in crowded areas. They should only visit medical facilities in case of emergency, he added. 

The Ministry of Education and Training and localities have been instructed to offer specific measures for each level of education. 

He also asked for specific guidelines for safe travel, production and trade, culture-sport-tourism activities, as well as ensuring the safety of public administration agencies. 

"We need to continue heightening the sense of discipline and responsibility of each individual and organisation in the effort to stop the outbreak in the immediate future," Đam said. 

It was also time to utilise digital transformation amid the Fourth Industrial Revolution, including facilitating online meetings, public services, learning, health check-ups and digital payments, he said. — VNS