Prime Minister warns against hastiness in reopening after lockdown

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh addresses the meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on September 11 (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on September 11 demanded that hastiness be avoided in resuming production and business activities when the battle against the COVID-19 has produced initial positive signs.

The PM made the order while chairing a meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control to review the work in the past week and outlined measures and tasks in line with the current pandemic situation.

According to the national steering committee, new coronavirus infections in the community in the past week has declined compared to the previous week in some localities with large number of cases, including Da Nang (down 60 percent), Binh Duong (27 percent), and Long An (3 percent).

The daily number of deaths nationwide has also fallen by 30 percent on average, with Ho Chi Minh City down 30 percent, Dong Nai 50 percent, Long An 30 percent, and Tien Giang 70 percent.

Among the 23 provinces and cities that are applying social distancing and stronger measures, eight have gained good control of the pandemic while three others, namely HCM City, Binh Duong, and Kien Giang, still need to drastically carry out anti-COVID-19 measures so as to bring the outbreaks under control, the steering committee noted.

However, despite encouraging improvements, there remain certain shortcomings, it pointed out, elaborating that social distancing in some places has yet to be enforced seriously enough, the implementation of activities to ensure social security is still slower than expected, goods supplies remain unstable, and some localities have been impatient to reopen and ease restrictions despite a lack of specific plans.

PM Chinh, who is also Chairman of the national steering committee, asked ministries, sectors, and localities to avoid negligence after gaining certain initial results and practicing social distancing for a long period of time, and to steer clear of hastiness in resuming production and business activities.

He ordered continuing efforts to ensure social security, assessing the implementation of the Government’s Resolution No. 68/NQ-CP on some support policies for pandemic-hit workers and employers, further encouraging private resources to help guarantee social security, and enhancing public - private partnership in the COVID-19 combat.

The Government leader also asked for stronger application of information technology to the pandemic fight.

He told the Ministry of Health to soon complete an overall strategy for the COVID-19 prevention and control in the new context, which should focuses on vaccination, testing, and treatment, and to improve the response capacity so that the country can return to the “new normal” in 2022.

The ministry was tasked with building guidance for easing restrictions and resuming activities step by step and under control. It was also requested to continually making assessment of the situation so as to make timely and appropriate adjustments of the reopening process to ensure safety./.