Directive 12-CT/TU measures to implement Directive 16/CT-TTg

DIRECTIVE

Strengthening a number of measures to implement the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg, on implementing urgent measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic, in the City

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- In the implementation of the Public Telegram of the Standing Member of the Secretariat dated July 21, 2021, on continuing to strengthen the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control;

- In the implementation of the Government’s Resolution No. 78/NQ-CP dated July 20, 2021, on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, and directions of the Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in the Official Dispatch No. 969/TTg-KGVX dated July 17, 2021, regarding the imposition of social distancing measure for pandemic prevention and control in a number of localities,

After 13 days of efforts under the leadership and direction of the Standing Government, the Ministry of Health, ministries and sectors in implementation of measures in line with the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020, on COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control (hereinafter referred to as the Directive 16/CT-TTg), the COVID-19 pandemic development in Ho Chi Minh City is still very complicated. To be specific: the number of daily infections is very high, especially in the blockade and quarantine areas; the number of persons being treated, the number of severe cases and deaths is increasing; human resources, material facilities, supplies and equipment for pandemic prevention and control have been overloaded, etc.

In the face of the extremely urgent situation due to the fast, strong and unpredictable development of the Delta strain; in order to achieve the goal of protecting the life and health of the People, minimizing the number of deaths, protecting the health care system and the ability to treat and save patients, in addition to current measures to prevent and control the pandemic, the Municipal Party Standing Committee hereby directs to strengthen a number of measures to implement the Directive 16/CT-TTg in the City as follows:

1. Objectives of the strengthening measures to implement the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg: Blockading and controlling the spread of the pandemic; maintaining and expanding the safe zone and controlling infection in high-risk areas.

2. Specific measures to be implemented:

2.1. Focusing on promoting extensive propaganda, thoroughly implementing the motto of “going to every alley, knocking on every door, and tracking every person”, distributing leaflets guiding the implementation of social distancing and measures to prevent and control the pandemic.

2.2. Strengthening the inspection and surveillance, urging the strict implementation of social distancing regulations, especially keeping each individual and family separated from one another; strictly complying with quarantine and blockade requirements and regulations on the following principles:

- In the blockade areas, the principle of “keeping every individual and family separated from one another” must be thoroughly implemented; direct contact with surrounding people shall be banned. Citizens are allowed to leave home only when: (1) Being in medical emergency cases, (2) Purchasing essential food at supermarkets/markets in the blockade area (twice a week, using shopping/supermarket vouchers issued by local authorities). Households in a number of very high-risk areas are requested to stay at home, and the local authorities shall organize to bring necessities to every house.

- In quarantine areas, quarantined people must strictly abide by regulations; leaving rooms or being in direct contact with others are banned (except for medical emergencies).

- People in family with F1 or F2 cases who are quarantined at home must strictly comply with the health sector's instructions; absolutely not leaving home (except for medical emergencies); essential food and foodstuff shall be supported and provided at home by the authorities.

- Buildings in small alleys with high population density, must thoroughly comply with the requirement of keeping a safe distance between individuals.

2.3. Narrowing down the groups of subjects that are allowed to operate during the period of applying the Directive 16-CT/TTg:

- Production and business activities and activities of construction sites, construction and traffic works that are not really urgent shall be suspended from operation.

- Banks and securities companies must operate at the level of maintaining capacity in order to provide necessary services in a timely manner; branches or transaction offices may operate alternately, arrange personnel to work directly in shifts, but must strictly observe social distancing requirements.

Tightening business operations: Only essential service businesses in health care, pharmaceuticals, food and foodstuffs, providing meals for hospitals, quarantine areas, and treatment areas; providing electricity, water, gas, postal, telecommunications, public sanitation, transportation of essential goods; State treasury, funeral services and a number of other essential services as regulated by competent authorities may operate according to service requirements but must ensure safety. Other production enterprises may operate only when satisfying conditions on ensuring safety, strictly complying with the “three on site” and “one road with two destinations” principles; any enterprises failing to ensure the pandemic prevention and control shall be suspended from operation and strictly handled.

- Traditional markets are only allowed to operate under a new model, with strict regulations and controls, ensuring an open, airy space. A barrier between buyers and sellers must be installed, prices must be listed, and pre-packed bags are encouraged. Social distancing requirements must be strictly complied with; only trading in food, foodstuffs and essential goods is allowed and their scale shall be reduced to about 30%; business households must operate alternately on even and odd days to minimize the number of people interacting.

- State agency shall organize alternate working days or hours at their offices. They must be exemplary in strictly abiding by the Directive 16/CT-TTg, only go out in case of emergency.

- Checkpoints and COVID-19 pandemic control stations at the gateways to the City (12 checkpoints and stations of the City and others checkpoints and stations of districts and Thu Duc City) shall only handle for the following cases: official vehicles and vehicles transporting goods with QR codes that are allowed to enter to the City or pass through the City; personal vehicles of state agencies, armed forces, or personal vehicles serving the pandemic prevention and control and public service purposes; vehicles transporting citizen returning their hometowns as planned.

2.4. Strengthening the proactive, effective and safe communication: Providing accurate, timely and positive information on pandemic prevention and control activities, minimizing one-way news, that lacks of verification or causes psychological panic among the people.

3. Implementation organization:

The entire political system from the city to the shock force, shall take the lead in effectively implementing measures to strengthen the Prime Minister's Directive 16/CT-TTg:

3.1. Members of the Municipal Party Standing Committee, Municipal Party Committee, heads of Party Committees and authorities at all levels shall, based on their assigned functions, tasks and assigned areas, uphold the sense of responsibility, firmly, closely and timely grasp the situation; cooperate with localities to direct the implementation, share and encourage the forces effectively participating in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic. They must also proactively solve and propose timely settlement of difficulties and problems arising in the areas.

3.2. The Ho Chi Minh City Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control shall urgently issue a decision, direct the effective organization and implementation of measures set out in the Directive 16-CT/TTg. The Steering Committee shall continue directing functional agencies, especially health sector to timely cooperate with localities in preparing scenario and solutions for the pandemic prevention and control, such as preventive measures, testing, quarantine, treatment, etc. in accordance with the new development of the pandemic; focus on speeding up the vaccine receipt, purchase and vaccination.

3.3. The Party Civil Affairs Committee of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee shall lead the People's Committee of the City to directly coordinate with ministries, sectors and the Government's special working group to make the most of the supported human resource, to ensure the demand for material facilities, medical equipment, and medicines in service of pandemic prevention and control; focus on capacity building, promptly handle, receive, care for and treat F0 cases, especially severe cases; urgently issue detailed, easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow regulations and instructions for operation in quarantine areas for F0 and F1 cases, and blockade areas, preparation of quarantine zones for F0 cases in localities; continue to direct, coordinate, and organize effectively the smooth supply, transportation, receipt and circulation of essential goods serving life and production, without causing congestion or affecting the pandemic prevention and control; develop a plan to coordinate and facilitate support for people returning to localities and quarantine them according to regulations.

3.4. The Municipal Public Security Party Committee shall direct the Municipal Police Department according to its functions and duties to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with relevant agencies and localities, to develop specific implementation plans and strengthen to provide detailed and clear instructions on situations throughout the entire force, focus on effectively implementing measures to prevent and control the pandemic throughout the City, combining effective performance of the task of explosion and fire prevention and fighting at field hospitals, treatment establishments, blockade areas, and quarantine areas; ensure political security, social order and safety in the locality. Organizations and individuals that violate regulations on pandemic prevention and control or take advantage of the pandemic situation to distort, incite, shall be strictly handled.

3.5. The Municipal Military Party Committee shall lead the effective implementation of strengthening measures to prevent and control the pandemic; promote the role of presiding over, coordinating and operating the activities of centralized quarantine centers and field hospitals for effective and safe receipt and treatment of COVID-19 patients, avoiding cross-infection in the service force in the quarantine areas, coordinate the forces to spray chemicals in the blockade areas; organize convoys to transport goods to serve the City’s citizen. At the same time, to closely cooperate with police forces to be ready to handle any situations.

3.6. The Municipal Party Committee's Propaganda Department shall cooperate with the Municipal Party Committee’s Commission for Mass Mobilization, the Municipal Command, the provincial Department of Information and Communications to effectively orient propaganda, strengthen and proactively and timely provide accurate information to the media agencies, orient public opinion; direct localities to organize mobile propaganda teams and groups to each residential area, especially blockade and quarantine areas, contributing to strengthening trust, unity, consensus, sharing and coordination of all People in the prevention and control of pandemic. To coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications, the Ministry of Public Security and the Municipal Police Department in timely and effective handling of communication incidents and strictly handle acts of violation, distorting, inciting, anti-sabotage, and affecting the pandemic prevention and control.

3.7. The Commission for Mass Mobilization of the Municipal Party Committee, the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations, from municipal level to grassroots level, shall continue to strengthen the dissemination and propaganda to raise awareness, responsibility and skills for union members, members, and religious dignitaries, religious compatriots, and the people strictly and actively participate in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic; mobilize and gather the people's great unity bloc, arouse the spirit of solidarity, mutual love, and help each other overcome difficulties; continue to mobilize resources, promptly take care of people, especially those in difficult and weak situations.

3.8. Thu Duc City Party Standing Committee, district party committees shall uphold the initiative and creativity to effectively implement the motto “5 on the spot” and strongly promote their direct and comprehensive role in leading, directing and organizing, implementing and checking, monitoring the following contents:

- Developing a detailed plan, mobilizing all social resources, assigning the right people, specific tasks and responsibilities, and organizing, implementing seriously and effectively measures to strengthen the Directive 16-CT/TTg. Promoting the role of the core force at grassroots level to promote propaganda in various forms, close to the actual situation of the current pandemic development in order to mobilize the people to voluntarily and seriously implement the regulations on pandemic prevention and control, strictly comply with social distancing measure in the entire City, especially in the blockade areas, concentrated quarantine areas, houses in small alleys with high population density; thoroughly grasping and strictly implementing regulations on vaccination; quarantine measures applicable to F0, F1 cases. Handling humanitarian issues arising in localities or treatment establishments. Strengthening the inspection and supervision, timely detecting positive factors, typical organizations and individuals that are dynamic, creative, brave, etc. to encourage and reward; at the same time removing shortcomings; resolutely handling violations caused by subjectivity and lack of sense of responsibility, affecting the effectiveness of pandemic prevention and control.

- Directing, inspecting and supervising the role of heads of Party Committees and People's Committees of wards, communes and townships in formulating detailed implementation plans, ensuring that the directions of all levels are organized and implemented timely in each neighborhood, hamlet and household; consolidating and promoting the role of the community-based COVID-19 teams to inspect and supervise the strict implementation of regulations in the blockade areas and concentrated quarantine areas in the area under their management, closely supervising and managing families with F0 and F1 cases who are quarantined at home and strictly enforcing and punishing cases of violation according to regulations; at the same time, grasping information about people and households with F0, F1 cases who are poor, disadvantaged, lonely, disabled, religious, ethnic, addicted, etc., so that appropriate support measures can be taken; carefully and closely coordinating the care and supply of food, foodstuffs and essential goods for people in the area; assigning 24/7 hotlines to promptly deal with citizens’ recommendations and reflections.

The Municipal Party Standing Committee respectfully reports to the Political Bureau, Secretariat, key leaders and the Prime Minister to continue paying special attention and directing Ho Chi Minh City to overcome this difficult moment.

The peak time of the next two weeks is decisive for the City’s pandemic prevention and control results, therefore, the Municipal Party Standing Committee hereby requests key leaders, members of the Municipal Party Standing Committee, members of the Municipal Party Committee and heads of authorities at all levels to unite, unify, determine, uphold the sense of responsibility, initiative, creativity, overcoming challenges, taking drastic action, striving to best complete the set plan.