PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc on May 15 suggested setting up a steering committee in charge of epidemic prevention and economic recovery as the novel coronavirus epidemic is under control.

There is no room for complacency when it comes to people’s safety, Mr. Phuc said during an online Cabinet meeting on Friday. He pointed out that COVID-19 cases and fatalities are continuing to mount worldwide, noting that the strong preventive measures taken by the government since the outbreak have been effective in bringing the disease under control. Now new cases of local transmission have been detected for nearly a month in Vietnam.

Despite this success, Mr. Phuc warned, it is likely that more COVID-19 infections will be detected in the near future as thousands of Vietnamese citizens stranded in epidemic-hit countries are repatriated. The PM cited the Ministry of Health’s report that 24 Vietnamese nationals who returned from Russia on Wednesday had been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. This came soon after 17 Vietnamese citizens returning from the United Arab Emirates tested positive for coronavirus.

PM Phuc said the Government held a special dialogue with the business community last weekend to iron out snags that might interfere with Vietnam’s effort to reboot production, kick-start the economy, and generate jobs in the post-virus period.