People have their temperature measured before entering the city at a checkpoint on Nội Bài - Lào Cai Expressway VNA/VNS Photo Quốc Khánh

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính has called on ministries, agencies and localities to enhance their COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control efforts.

He made the request in an official dispatch sent to leaders of ministries, agencies and localities on Sunday.

The dispatch said the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat, the PM, Government and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control had always paid attention to measures to combat COVID-19 and the pandemic is basically under control in Việt Nam.

However, the pandemic is becoming more complex and unpredictable situations might occur, while some localities have lowered their guard against the virus and COVID-19 preventive rules have not been taken seriously, especially mask-wearing in public.

PM Chính ordered sectors and localities to continue complying with COVID-19 prevention direction of the Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control as well as the regulations of the Ministry of Health.

He asked authorities to strictly punish any rule violators and to make clear the responsibilities of individuals and organisations in COVID-19 prevention work.

He called for reviews of regulations related to COVID-19 prevention and control and said localities and agencies should take the initiative and be flexible in pandemic prevention work.

While praising a number of localities including Vĩnh Phúc, Hà Nội, HCM City, Quảng Ninh and Hải Phòng who have responded quickly and taken effective measures in the work, the PM reminded several provinces and cities, namely Đà Nẵng, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Khánh Hòa, to strictly comply with the guidance of the Ministry of Health (MoH)

He asked authorities in Đà Nẵng City and Hà Nam and Yên Bái provinces to clarify the responsibilities of individuals and organisations for failing to comply with the guidance and deal with them in a strict manner.

The MoH must monitor the implementation of the PM’s direction and enhance the supervision of facilities and equipment for pandemic prevention in localities.

The heads of ministries, agencies and localities were asked to tighten discipline, especially in immigration management.  The interagency working group consisting of the health, foreign, defence, public security and transport ministries must be responsible for strictly controlling the entry of Vietnamese returning from abroad, foreign experts and high-tech workers.

Local Party organisations and governments at all levels and press agencies were asked to continue to communicate about the pandemic and prevention measures.

The MoH was told to review vaccine availability, accelerate the inoculation campaign and publish information about the role of vaccines via mass media.

Deputy Prime Minister Vũ Đức Đam, head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on behalf of the Prime Minister, will preside over all work related to pandemic prevention and control and submit a report to the PM if necessary.

In related news, the northern province of Hà Nam on Monday morning reported two new community COVID-19 infections, raising the total number of infections in the locality to 14.

Both of the new patients are residents of Thọ Lão Village, Đạo Lý Commune, Lý Nhân District.

Earlier on April 29, the Ministry of Health said a 28-year-old man in Quan Nhân Village, Đạo Lý Commune tested positive for COVID-19 after completing a 14-day mandatory quarantine period in the central city of Đà Nẵng.

The local Centre for Disease Control has collected 3,800 test samples of people who came into contact with the reported cases. — VNS