PM Pham Minh Chinh (C) chairs the cabinet meeting on September 6, 2021. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

At a Government meeting on Monday to review socio-economic performance over the past eight months, he said the government will focus on direction and the implementation will be decentralized to localities, pursuant to the motto "Each commune, ward, and town is a fortress; every resident is a soldier".

Mr. Chinh underscored the need to quickly control the pandemic, while designing scenarios for economic recovery and development in a post-pandemic world.

The PM has said at least twice in recent weeks that the lockdown cannot go on forever and people should be ready to live with the disease.

He said that during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam has managed to maintain its socio-economic stability, ensure national defense and security, and strengthen its external relations.

23 localities have imposed social distancing measures, he said, and the remaining 40 localities are flexibly setting their priorities to balance socio-economic development and pandemic control.

“I task the Finance Ministry to collect proposals on funding for the COVID-19 fight, the Labor Ministry to work out more incentive policies for frontliners, and the Transport Ministry to ensure regulations are consistent on transport of goods and people. The Ministry of Planning and Investment will devise scenarios for economic recovery,” said PM Chinh.