PM warns against complacency about coronavirus

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 reason for complacency when it comes to people’s safety, stressed Prime Minister Phuc at an online Cabinet meeting on May 15, pointing out numbers of coronavirus infections and fatalities are keeping rising considerably in the region and the world.

He noted that drastic preventive measures the government has introduced over the past months have proved effective, helping bring the disease under control in the country, with no new locally transmitted cases for the past month.

Localities have gradually got used to the ‘new normal’ practice, with basic business, tourism, catering services, sporting and cultural events returning to normal.

However, he warned that more coronavirus infections will be detected in Vietnam as thousands of Vietnamese citizens stranded in epidemic-hit countries are returning to the homeland in the near future.

He cited the Ministry of Health’s May 15 update as saying 24 Vietnamese nationals who returned from Russia on May 13 have been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease.

Earlier, a further 17 Vietnamese citizens returning from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were also confirmed to carry the deadly virus.

Therefore, he suggested establishing a steering committee in charge of epidemic prevention and economic recovery.

The PM said the government held a special dialogue with the business community last weekend to iron out their snags in a nationwide effort to reboot production, kick-start economy and generate jobs in the post-coronavirus period.

To get the national economy back on track, the government leader asked ministries, sectors and localities to be well prepared for a possible new wave of investment to flow into Vietnam in the near future.