Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (Photo: VGP/Dinh Nam)

Speaking at a teleconference Thursday on COVID-19 response in HCM City and Bac Giang province, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son said the COVID-19 situation remains “very complicated” in HCM City after 15 days of social distancing, but in terms of epidemiology, there are opportunities to control the chains of infection.

HCM City has worked out a treatment plan for handling 5,000 patients and readied equipment for severe cases, he said. From Friday, it will pilot self-collection of samples for COVID-19 testing and home-quarantine of F1s.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam told the teleconference that, as HCM City is a large municipality with experience in fighting the pandemic, its restrictions should be on the smallest possible scale.

“Authorities need to seal off affected areas as soon as possible to avoid extended citywide social distancing. Epidemiological surveys must be accelerated to classify safe zones for easing restrictions, while control over high-risk areas must be tightened.” 

For industrial parks, the Deputy PM asked the city to take “strong” measures and increase screening tests to detect COVID-19 cases within three days of infection.

Bac Giang have allowed 120 businesses with 20,000 workers to resume operation. Bac Giang province now has the highest number of infections, more than 5,000, in Vietnam.