Notice No. 158/TB-VPCP on the conclusion of the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in the meeting of the Standing Government on COVID-19 Prevention and Control

NOTIFICATION

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 15, the Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc presides over in the meeting of the Standing Government on COVID-19 Prevention and Control. The Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh and the Deputy Prime Minister: Pham Binh Minh, Vu Duc Dam, Trinh Dinh Dung; the Minister and Chairman of the Office of the Government Mai Tien Dung, The Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung, the Deputy Director of the Office of the Party Central Committee Nguyen Dac Vinh, the Deputy Minister of National Defense Tran Don, the representative of the heads of the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children, the Central Propaganda Department of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City Nguyen Thanh Phong, the representative of the People’s Committee of Hanoi City and members of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

After listening to the reports from the National Steering Committee, opinions of Deputy Ministers and attendances of the meeting, the Prime Minister gave the direction as follows:

1. The Prime Minister sincerely thanks to the People for overcome difficulties, support and strictly implement the policies of the Party and the State in social isolation and urgent measures to prevent and fight the pandemic. The Prime Minister appreciates and praises the solidarity, determination and effectiveness of the pandemic prevention of the entire political system, especially of the medical, military, police and diplomatic forces as well as the information and communication, transportation forces and localities throughout the country. Until now, Vietnam still control the pandemic well, the prevention, detection, zoning, quarantine and implementation of treatment have achieved good result and no case of death recorded... are very positive results.

The Prime Minister praises and appreciates all levels, sectors, localities and enterprises for focusing on directing the production and business, contributing to economic growth and realizing the Government s double goal.

2. On the global, the pandemic keep breaking out with high rise of infected and death every day. In the country, the potential risks spread in the community and disease outbreaks on a large scale still exist. For that reason, the Prime Minister requires that all levels, sectors, localities to:

a) Continue implement seriously and drastically the directions of the Politburo, the Committee Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister on pandemic prevention and control in appropriate to the circumstances and conditions of the Ministries, sectors, localities; to mobilize the entire political system  the whole party, the whole army and the whole people and uphold the responsibility of the heads of the committees and the authorities; to promote efficiency of the “04 in spot” motto to ensure the efficiency of pandemic prevention and control.

b) To continue master the spirit of “fighting against epidemics like fighting against the enemy”, not to be subjective, losing vigilance, to protecting the health and life of the people at the highest level;

c) To keep the consistency of proposed strategies: To promptly prevent and detect; implement quarantine, zoning, thorough stamping out and treatment effectively; take appropriate cautious measures to gradually bring the people’s life back to normal, ensuring the requirements of pandemic prevention and in the mean while maintaining the continuity of economic activity at a certain level, preparing to restart the economy on the basis of successful pandemic prevention and control, ensuring basic and long-term stability in employment and Social Security;

d) To carry out prevention and control of the pandemic with the overarching goal: Restrict and control the rate of infection at the lowest level, restrict the number of death cases, minimize the negative impact of pandemic on socio-economic situation in accordance with specific circumstances so that each locality can flexibly implement the dual objective of pandemic prevention and socio-economic development; to formulate production and business organization plans in the situation that the pandemic may prolonged.

3. The Prime Minister agreed with a proposal of the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control on classify infection risk in localities to apply appropriate prevention and control measures:

a) High-risk localities consist of 12 provinces and cities namely: Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Lao Cai, Quang Ninh, Bac Ninh, Ninh Binh, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Tay Ninh.  These localities shall continue to focus on leading and directing the implementation of the Directive No. 16/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister to the end of April 22 or April 30 and may further extend upon specific situation of the pandemic on the locality; and in the meanwhile, to pay attention to removing difficulties, boosting production activities, building infrastructure, ensuring goods circulation.

a) Risky localities consist of 16 provinces and cities namely: Hai Phong, Can Tho, Lang Son, Thai Nguye, Ha Nam, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Thua Thien Hue, Dong Nai, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, An Giang, Dong Thap, Ha Giang. These localities shall strictly implement the solutions as prescribed in the Directive No. 16/CT-TTg until the end of April 22 and  modification may be consider upon development of the pandemic on the locality.

c) Low-risk localities include 35 other provinces and cities. These localities shall continue to implement the regulation as prescribed in the Directive No. 15/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister.

4. To assign provincial level and municipal cities People s Committees:

a) To decide in specific on the implementation of social distancing and apply measures in their respective localities according to levels: requirement, restriction and recommendation for activities of 3 groups of provinces and cities as follow: leaving house at the required levels, opening non-essential shops according to the extent, the transportation of passengers by public transport, the gathering of people;

b) To decide specifically on business and service establishments which need to be closed;

c) To take responsibility for close supervision at projects, construction sites, production and business establishments and request to stop production and business if these establishments do not ensure pandemic prevention; to focus on thoroughly handling detected outbreaks.

5. The head of localities’ government and authorities, based on the practical situation of the localities, shall:

a) Decide the extension of duration of implementation of social distancing measures as prescribed in the Directive No. 16/CT-TTg, may apply social distancing measures at the commune or district level depending on the risk of infection in locality;

b) Decide the organization of the Party Congress at all levels and important political events in the area on the basis of ensuring pandemic prevention requirements.

6. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of Public Security shall continue to strictly control entry activity. The policy of entry limitation shall not be loosen until April 30, 2020. Strictly control the entry and suspend the entry visa with foreigners in all road way, airway and waterways (except for diplomatic, civil service, expert, high-tech worker, international investor...)

7. The Ministry of Transport shall continue to direct the restriction on international flight to and from Vietnam, restricting domestic flight.

8. Request the Ministry of Public Security and the Ministry of National Defense to intensify the direction of ensuring security and order, especially on the occasion of the Unification Day (April 30) and International Labor Day (May 01).

Ministries, branches and localities shall strictly handle violations of pandemic prevention regulations.

9. To continue enhancing activities of online meetings, online learning, online payment; encourage officials to work from home. Ministers, Chairpersons of People s Committees of provinces and municipal cities and heads of other state agencies shall decide on this matter in detail, ensuring smooth, quality and proper works, especially those works with deadline or specific duration.

10. Request the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control:

a) To carry out assessment of readiness to respond to pandemic in localities, especially key localities and localities with road borders; to guide and support to establish 63 teams to respond quickly to pandemic in 63 provinces and cities.

b) To propose on improving the testing capacity and facility, support human resource for the local health system.

c) To research and propose specific reaction threshold based on the number of cases, number of deaths and disease spread rates and appropriate response plans for each threshold, and be prepared for any situation.

11. The press and media agencies shall continue to disseminate and guide people with the knowledge and skills to protect themselves and their families, raise the awareness of citizen in pandemic prevention and control; avoid giving subjective information, bewilderment in society.

12. The Ministers of Ministries: the Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the Minister of Finance and the Chairperson of provincial and municipal cities shall expeditiously deploy the support for social security in accordance with the Resolution of the Government.

13. The Ministry of Health shall assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the Government in preparing and submitting to the Prime Minister for consideration and promulgation a new Directive on prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic.

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