(VOVWORLD) - HCM City and southern provinces are struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. The government and the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control are mobilizing all possible resources, loaning localities additional medical staff and making sure people have access to basic necessities.
 Medical students in Hai Duong go to HCM city to aid the fight against COVID-19 |
From 0:00 AM on Friday, HCM City will impose social distancing under Directive 16 of the Prime Minister which requires closures of entries to the city and isolation between houses. Checkpoints will be set up in all residential areas. At Thursday meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked HCM City to work closely with other localities to ensure the movement of essential goods during social distancing while paying more attention to the risk of transmission in goods supply areas.
'We need to pay due attention to all disease prevention measures including testing everyone engaged in supplying goods during the pandemic. We need to enhance the anagement of people working in these areas,' said Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam.
Le Viet Nga, Deputy Director of the Domestic Market Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said her ministry will work closely with local Departments of Industry and Trade to promptly resolve problems in goods delivery to pandemic-hit areas.
'HCM City and the Ministry of Industry and Trade regularly discuss possible alternatives while some markets and supermarkets are temporarily closed. We have applied IT and implemented price stabilization programs to ensure sufficient goods for HCMC residents.' said Nga.
The Ministry of Health has mobilized more than 10,000 medical workers to aid the fight against COVID-19. The Ministry has set up task forces in pandemic-hit localities including Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Quang Ngai, Phu Yen, Đồng Tháp, Long An, and Tiền Giang. It has also deployed additional medical workers to help field hospitals collect test samples.
Health officials say the Delta variant is causing more COVID-19 deaths. The Ministry of Health has asked cities and provinces set up 2 Intensive Care Units in the southeastern and southwestern region to treat critical patients. The Ministry has worked out several scenarios and inventoried medical facilities, respirators, ECMO machines, and protective equipment to prepare for the worse case scenario.