Notice No. 170/TB-VPCP of the Office of the Government on the conclusion of the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the meeting of the Standing Government on COVID-19 Prevention and Control

NOTICE

On the conclusion of the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the meeting of the Standing Government on COVID-19 Prevention and Control

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On April 28, the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presides over in the meeting of the Standing Government on COVID-19 Prevention and Control. Present at the meeting are the Deputy Minister: Truong Hoa Binh, Pham Binh Minh, Vu Duc Dam, Trinh Dinh Dung, the Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, the Deputy Chief of the Office of Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Nguyen Dac Vinh, the Deputy Minister of National Defense Tran Don, representative of the People’s Committee of Hanoi, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, member of the Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

After listening to the reports from the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, report from the Government Office, opinions of Deputy Ministers and attendances of the meeting, the Prime Minister gave the direction as follows:

1. The Prime Minister praised the agencies and forces directly participated in the pandemic prevention and control work, which was continuously conducted day and night to ensure safety for people. During the last 12 days, there has been no detected cases of Covid-19 infection in the community on the whole country; about 60% of provinces and municipal cities do not have the infected case, the infection ratio is under control, among the lowest in the world; we almost control and reverse the spread of the pandemic. It is the result of proper, timely, effective and low-cost prevention strategies and measures.

However, the situation on the global scale as well as our neighbor countries still remain complicated, that requires we stay active, not to be inattentive, drop our guard, we must always be in the highest readiness, especially the forces directly engaged in pandemic prevention and control.

2. All the levels, agencies and functional forces shall continue to implement the proposed prevention and control strategies, resolutely prevent the source of disease from entering into the country, isolating all those who enter Vietnam appropriately and infected people; quickly detect infected cases, zoning to stop pandemic outbreak and carry out treatment effectively; closely supervise the health of people who have recovered from illness, promptly handle relapse cases.

3. The following Ministries: The Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Health shall continue to strictly implement measures to control the risk of external infection (through the airline, sea line, waterway, especially the road border line, pay attention on border gates, trails and open paths).

Continue to permit entry for cases of expert, high-tech worker, international investor...but those cases must implement appropriate quarantine measures to prevent and control pandemic infection. The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Security shall coordinate with the ministries, agencies and localities on carrying medical supervision plan for foreigners who enter Vietnam without having to be quarantined in for 14 days.

4. Continue to loosen restrictions, gradually restore socio-economic activities, start actively and need to accelerate in areas with high safety coefficients, on the basis of ensuring strict prevention and control of the pandemic.

Ministries, agencies and locality need to have plan to reorganize production, business and service activities, especially import and export activities, supply of goods and essential products in suitable with the risk level on infection of each area. Note that the application of pandemic prevention and control measures must not be higher than the requirements of the Prime Minister and must create conditions for the development of production and business, stabilizing the people s life.

The Prime Minister requires that the committees, local authorities, especially grassroots levels to pay attention to directing the implementation of "dual goals” with the general spirit is to take the initiative in deciding to apply pandemic prevention and control measures in the locality and at the same time promote socio-economic activities in accordance with specific local conditions.

5. The People s Committees of provinces and municipal cities shall focus on directing and ensuring a healthy and safe holiday for the people, preventing epidemics and ensuring traffic safety.

Heads of all levels and agencies shall intensify the inspection of the implementation of disease prevention and control measures as prescribed in the Directive No. 19/CT-TTg; units shall assign people on duty, unit in the disease prevention and control system must operate 100%, especially during the coming April 30 and May 1 holidays.

The Ministry of Education and Training shall take the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Health on provide specific guidance on student safety, regularly check and urge implementation. Re-open domestic tourism activities, paying attention to the assurance of pandemic prevention and control requirements and not gathering crowds.

6. The Prime Minister requests that functional agencies to immediately carry out necessary procedures, immediately remove barriers to export medical masks, equipment, medical supplies, pay attention to the management and supervision of the quality of exported products. Welcome corporations, businesses and units (such as Vingroup, Power University and many other units) for researching and manufacturing breathing machines, equipment, medical bio-products for serving pandemic prevention and control within the country and to export.

7. Agree to repeal the export license of medical masks according to the Government s Resolution No. 20/NQ-CP dated February 28, 2020. The Government Office shall urgently consult Government members on this matter.

8. To assign the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control to formulate an Emergency response plan to promptly trace and localize the area in case of detecting a risk of infection from intrusive cases.

9. The Ministry of National Defense shall preside and coordinate with the following Ministries: The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Culture - Sports and Tourism, the provincial and municipal cities People s Committee shall revise the capacity of concentrated quarantine zones, improve the physical facilities of the quarantine areas, be ready to receive and carry out the isolation of Vietnamese citizens abroad returning home in the near future (if any), ensure safety conditions.

10. The Ministry of Transport shall base on the development of the pandemic and demand for travel of the people to give instruction on ensuring safety and decide on gradually increase the frequency of domestic flight and passenger transport by automobile and train.

11. The Ministry of Information and Communications shall direct the completion of software installed on the phone and propose control solutions.

12. Request that ministries, agencies and localities to strictly grasp and organize the implementation of Resolution No. 42/NQ-CP dated April 09, 2020 of the Government on measures to support people in difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure transparency, timeliness and accuracy; to complete the support for people with meritorious services to the revolution, the poor, the near poor and social protection beneficiaries before April 30, 2020.

13. Request that ministries, agencies and localities to revise the needs, strengthen the management of procurement of necessary medical equipment and devices in service of pandemic prevention and control to ensure transparency, timeliness, not to let cases of taking advantage of epidemics for seeking personal profit, causing negative effects; in case of detecting signs of violations, it must be transferred the inspection and investigation agencies for handling according to regulations.

14. The National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control shall actively organizing the meeting of the Steering Board in accordance with the situation of the pandemic development.

The Government Office informs ministries, agencies and People s Committees of provinces and municipal cities for reference and compliance./.

The Minister and Chairman

Mai Tien Dung