Notice No. 177/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 May 07, 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 Ministers: 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, representatives of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children, Central Propaganda Department, People’s Committee of Hanoi, People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and members of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

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

1. The Prime Minister highly appreciates the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control and localities, especially the health sector, have made great efforts to implement the pandemic prevention and control with positive results and good control of the pandemic.  In our country, there have been 21 continuous days without detecting any new infected case in the community; all new infected cases were among people who had been isolated when entry, not to be spread in the community. All localities in the whole country are at the low risk or even very low risk of infection.

However, the development of the pandemic in the world is very complicated; the number of infected people and the number deaths are very high; authorities of all levels, sectors and localities are required to be always on high alert, not negligent, subjective and avoiding the outbreaks.

2. Our country has entered the new stage of the pandemic prevention and control, at the same time, to restore and develop the economy. From levels, branches, to every citizen, every business needs to establish a new normal status in socio-economic activities to gradually bring the society back to normal with the spirit of focusing on promoting economic recovery activities.

3. To continue to implement some measures to prevent and control the pandemic:

a) To resolutely prevent the source of disease from entering into the country. All people enter Vietnam shall be centrally isolated for 14 days. For those being investors, experts or workers with high professional, there should be the appropriate measures of isolation, owners of enterprises and local health establishments shall be responsible for supervising the isolation with such people, not to let the pandemic spreading in the community.

b) To be ready to respond to cases of positive with the disease in the community. The Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of all levels shall maintain the rapid response team, promptly detect, localize, isolate and stamp out effectively the pandemic. The Ministry of Health shall direct the health sector and the People’s Committees of localities to organize people to be on duty, ensure timely respond 100% of the pandemic situations. The leading task of the health sector and the provinces and centrally-run cities, especially in the central areas, cities and large cities, is to prevent the pandemic from returning.

c) To continue to carry out measures of compelling to wear masks in public areas and public transport, outside the offices, schools; to wash hands with an antiseptic solution and ensure personal hygiene.

d) To continue to strengthen the capacity for COVID-19 testing laboratories, to prepare machineries and biology products, satisfying all necessary conditions for testing. To monitor and update the pandemic situation and diagnostic technique, biology products in the world and in our country to adjust the testing activities in accordance with the pandemic prevention and control.

dd) To continue to study the treatment regimen, formulate guidance and training the local health staff to monitor and supervise health status of people in the community and provide guidance if there is any case suspected of being infection or positive with COVID-19 or infected with other disease (if any).

e) To prepare hospitals and treatment facilities and necessary conditions for the treatment of people infected with COVID-19 and other disease may occur.

4. To loosen restrictions:

a) To eliminate the regulation on distance and limit the number of seats on public transport (airplanes, buses, ships and trains, etc.).

b) To agree to re-open and abolish the regulation of distancing for establishments, production and business, trade and services with the requirement to implement safety measures such as wearing masks, disinfecting hands; particularly for service establishments such as restaurants and bars, hand disinfection is only required. Discos and karaoke services are not allowed to re-operated yet.

c) Allow sport activities and gathering activities to be carried out with the condition that the safety ensure measures such as wearing mask, washing hand must be conducted;

d) Allow health examination and treatment facilities to re-open as normal condition, ensure to serve the requirement of examination and treatment for the people.

dd) Not require to carry out social distancing in schools and classes; not require students to wearing mask in the class. Schools shall enhance the implementation of antiseptic cleaning surfaces, classes, rooms, water closets, ensure the clear atmosphere for classes and rooms, students must keep personal hygiene well and regularly washing hand.

The Ministry of Education and Training, People s Committee at provinces and municipal cities must having appropriate plans and implement the high school graduate exam, ensure the truthful and objective results.

5. The Standing Government require that ministries, agencies, People s Committee of localities seriously implement assigned measures and tasks, especially the following important tasks: Focus on resolving difficulties for enterprises, promote the development of investment, produce and business activities, the financial and monetary package must take effect before opening of the Conference of the Government with enterprises in May 09 in the next few days; especially focus on pushing measures to support people who facing difficulties due to COVID-19 as prescribed in the Resolution No. 42/NQ-CP of the Government, ensure the publicity, transparency, correct subjects, not to let the situation of taking advantage of policy for seeking personal profit happen.

Relevant ministries and agencies, especially: The Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development...and localities shall need to focus on direct for strengthen the attraction and promotion of investment activities from enterprises, domestic and international cooperation.

6. Regarding the clearance of goods and products through sub border gate on the route border of Vietnam - China:

a) Allow to re-open the following sub border gates and open ways: Binh Nghi, Na Hinh, Na Nua, Po Nhung according to proposal of the People s Committee of Lang Son province; Bac Phong Sinh and Ka Long according to proposal of the People s Committee of Quang Ninh province.

b) For other sub border gates and open ways, the People s Committee in border provinces shall base on the actual situation of the local to consider carefully and thoroughly, maximize the guarantee for implementing the prevention and control of COVID - 19 pandemic so that proactively decide on re open the sub border gates and open ways on the area of the locality according to principal prescribed in the Decree No. 112/2014/ND-CP dated November 21, 2014 of the Government providing the management of land border gates, the Decree No. 14/2018/ND-CP dated January 23, 2018 of the Government on prescribing in detail border trade activities and ensure the procedure of pandemic prevention and control; only re-open the sub border gates and open ways which has the large amount of goods circulation, especially exported agriculture, aquatic goods and urgent import ingredient to serve domestic production. Note: Only open for goods circulation, not allow human exit and entry; not to let the situation of taking advantage from the open of sub border gates and open ways to smuggle and cheating on trading.

7. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism shall urgently direct and guide localities to establish communication plans on safety destinations with specific, practical actions, according to the progress of the pandemic on the locality; to promote domestic travel; proactively organize the market and prepare the plans for re-start the international travel market in the appropriate time.

8. The following Ministries: The Ministry of Foreign Affair, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport and provincial level and municipal cities People s Committees shall continue to organization of implementation of assigned tasks, which including bring back Vietnamese stuck in foreign countries back to Vietnam, ensure the orders and conformity with the domestic capacity of receipt and quarantine.

9. The Ministry of Finance shall enhance the management and ensure to promptly supplement the budget for pandemic prevention and control of the ministries, agencies and localities.  The use of budget must ensure to comply with law provisions, not to let state property be losses; violations must be handled seriously in accordance with law provisions.

10. Agree on stretching the meeting of the Standing Government, meeting of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, only implement meeting up on necessary to decide policy and great arising problems.

Assign to the Ministry of Health to proactively, and regularly direct the performance of COVID-19 prevention and control works, promptly report to the National Steering Committee, the Prime Minister for consideration and decision on great and newly arising problems; prepare to finalize COVID-19 prevention and control works, in which shall be encouragements and rewards for typical organizations and individuals having achievements on pandemic prevention and control works.

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