Bình Dương Province has more than 600 teams taking samples for SARS-CoV2 tests. VNA/VNS Photo Dương Chí Tưởng

HCM CITY— The Government will continue creating the best possible conditions for HCM City and southern provinces to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính said at a meeting on July 23.

The PM said the first priority of HCM City and southern provinces should be to focus on COVID-19 prevention and control, and maintain and restore production under safe conditions. Enterprises should carry out production and provide meals and lodging for their workers on-site.

The PM has instructed ministries and local authorities to ensure that assistance centres and hotlines are set up to help local residents and enterprises facing difficulties.

He pointed out that social distancing in several places was still not being carried out strictly. Mass gatherings were still occurring, and non-essential services were being provided. Sites taking test samples have not kept safe distances between people, and community-based teams for COVID-19 prevention and control have not been set up in many places.

Enforcing Directive No.16

Like HCM City, Bình Dương Province is strengthening the Government’s Directive No.16 to fight the growing threat of COVID-19. The province has set up an inspection team to supervise implementation of regulations.

“We have to carry out more serious preventive measures to rapidly bring life back to normal. The province needs the whole system and each resident to join in the fight,” Nguyễn Văn Lợi, secretary of the Provincial Party, said.    

If relevant agencies find people driving or going out on the streets without necessary reasons, they will be fined. At checkpoints, people should keep a safe distance, and in residential areas, households should not have close contact with others.

Local COVID-19 prevention and control teams should be more active, and task forces and hotlines for residents must be set up quickly, Lợi said.

He ordered local authorities to disburse allowances quickly to workers who have lost jobs due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Other southern provinces such as Hậu Giang have also tightened preventive measures.

Đồng Văn Thanh, chairman of Hậu Giang People’s Committee, said that a new cluster had appeared in Phụng Hiệp District’s Thạnh Hòa Commune.

Thanh has told relevant agencies and local authorities to prepare facilities and human resources for a scenario of 10,000-12,000 people who might need isolation at quarantine facilities in the province.    

In Long An Province, secretary of the Provincial Party, Nguyễn Văn Được, said the province would try to protect areas with no COVID-19 patients and strictly control areas with COVID-19 patients in districts Cần Giuộc, Bến Lức, Đức Hòa and Cần Đước and Tân An City.

Local authorities must deploy COVID-19 prevention and control teams and strictly control people and vehicles travelling through border areas.

Được told relevant agencies to work with local authorities to control residential areas that have people returning from HCM City and areas with a large number of workers.

The chairman of the province's People’s Committee, Nguyễn Văn Út, told local authorities to focus on giving tests to discover COVID-19 cases in the province. He said violators of regulations of social distancing and preventive measures would be fined.

Facilities and human resources should be prepared to quarantine people returning from HCM City, he said. 

The province has added 2,406 beds to treat COVID-19 patients. More field hospitals should be built to increase the total number of beds to 6,000, he said.

The province has added three hospitals to meet standards in SARS-CoV2 testing with the real-time PCR technique, taking the total to six hospitals.

In Cần Thơ, two more field hospitals in Cờ Đỏ District will be set up to meet the increasing number of COVID-19 patients. They will admit mildly and moderately ill patients. The city currently has four field hospitals with a total of 450 beds. VNS