Localities increase level of COVID-19 prevention and control

As a means of strengthening control of isolation sites in line with regulations set out by the Ministry of Health, municipal leaders paid a visit to sites on April 30 in order to inspect hotels based in metropolitan areas that are being used for COVID-19 isolation.

Ho Chi Minh City now has 41 hotels which are being used as fee-based concentrated medical isolation, with a total capacity of 3,929 people. Of the total, there are 38 isolation hotels specifically for foreign experts and Vietnamese citizens in need, along with three isolation hotels for international flight crews.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Ho Chi Minh City, hotels are required to meet requirements relating to the arrangement of isolation service areas at hotels, whilst also ensuring the facilities have cleaning services for rooms, dining, laundry, and are disinfected to serve the needs of quarantined people. In addition, all hotel staff working in these locations must be trained and should fully grasp medical isolation regulations.

In line with the threat of the epidemic, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has decided to suspend all non-essential services as of April 30 in an effort to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Under the decision made on April 30 by Ho Chi Minh City Mayor Nguyen Thanh Phong, karaoke venues, nightclubs, and bars, will be temporarily closed until further notice.

According to Mayor Phong, the southern city is at high risk, although it is not a locality which borders pandemic-hit nations, therefore it must launch the entire anti-pandemic system at the highest level possible, with restrictions being stricter than those in the provinces along the nation’s southwestern border.

Other catering and entertainment services will be permitted to operate as normal, but must fully comply with regulations on pandemic prevention and control.

Mayor Phong has moved to direct departments and branches to boost co-ordination in an effort to prevent cross-infection in concentrated isolated areas. People who have completed their quarantine period must fully comply with post-isolation regulations at their places of residence or at home, he emphasised.

Furthermore, he also asked competent agencies to strictly monitor individuals who have to continued to undergo quarantine at home after an earlier period of isolation, whilst strictly punishing violators who do not wear masks in public areas.

In the face of the complicated developments relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee issued an official dispatch aimed at strengthening COVID-19 prevention and control measures  in the city. Indeed, there is a particular focus on strictly complying with 5K regulations, especially wearing mandatory masks in public places and at events with large crowds.

In order to prevent potential outbreaks of COVID-19, the Tien Giang Provincial Party Committee and the People's Committee have requested that cadres, civil servants, public employees, and locals continue to follow the Health Ministry’s 5K message, including khau trang (face mask), khu khuan (disinfection), khoang cach (distance), khong tu tap (no gathering), and khai bao y te (health declaration). This should be done alongside mandatory mask wearing in public and no organization of unnecessary activities involving the gathering of large numbers of people.

Local authorities have also urged all citizens to minimise their travel for sightseeing and tourism purposes, whilst not arranging parties, gatherings, and recreational activities during the public holidays, along with strictly handling violations according to regulations.