Official Dispatch No. 1931/UBND-VX HCM City continuing to implement social distancing under Directive No. 15/CT-TTg

On May 30, 2021, the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City issued the Official Dispatch No. 1749/UBND-VX on strengthening measures for control of COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City, applying some social distancing measures within 15 days from 00:00 on May 31, 2021. However, because of the fast transmission rate the Delta variant (the name of the Indian virus strain), many new COVID-19 clusters have been confirmed in Ho Chi Minh City in the past 07 days. In order to thoroughly localize, stamp out the pandemic and limit the source of infection of newly arising clusters, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee directs as follows:

1. To continue implementing social distancing in the entire City under the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 15/CT-TTg dated March 27, 2020 for another 14 days, starting from 0:00 on June 15, 2021, with a number of provisions as follows:

- To suspend all meetings, events of over 20 people in one room; not gather over 10 people outside of offices, schools, and hospitals; keep a distance of at least 02 meters away from other people at public places.

- To suspend all cultural, sport and entertainment events in public areas.

- To continue suspending operations specified in Sections 4 and 5 of the Official Dispatch No. 1749/UBND-VX dated May 30, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. The following establishments that trade or provide essential goods and services may continue operating: Factories, production establishments, transport and construction works; establishments trading or providing essential goods and services (such as: food, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals; petrol and oil; electricity; water; fuel, etc.); banks, treasuries, service providers directly related to banking activities and supporting businesses (such as notaries, lawyers, registry, registration of secured transactions, etc.), securities, postal, telecommunications, services supporting transportation, import and export of goods, medical examination and treatment, funeral, etc. Heads of the above-mentioned establishments shall ensure absolute safety and fully implement pandemic prevention measures.

- Convenience stores are allowed to operate but must comply with the regulations on prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, not serve more than 10 people at a time and keep safe distance while waiting for payment.

- Food and beverage service establishments may operate but must not serve on-site, only takeaway and delivery services are allowed. The delivery person must ensure full pandemic prevention and control measures, especially wearing a mask and keeping a distance of 02 meters while waiting to pick up the goods.

- Food processing establishments, including restaurants, ready-to-eat food stalls, ready-to-eat meal establishments, canteens and collective kitchens are allowed to operate but must comply with the instructions of the Food Safety Management Board of the City.

- Restaurants in hotels may operate, but beer, liquor and alcohol drinks are not allowed. It is required to arrange well-ventilated seats, ensure the distance of at least 02 meters from others, not serve more than 10 people at a time, and strictly follow pandemic prevention and control measures according to regulations of health agencies.

- Urgent activities of the health sector such as blood donation organization should continue to be implemented, and pandemic prevention and control should be taken in accordance with regulations of the health sector during the implementation process.

2. The people in the City are requested to keep calm, trust and support measures to prevent and control the pandemic, cooperate with the City government, seriously comply with the requirements and measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic according to the 5K guidance of the Ministry of Health, especially wearing masks in public places and workplaces, avoiding going out unless absolutely necessary. People over 60 years old should stay at home all the time. The people should avoid visiting to medical examination and treatment establishments except in cases of absolute necessity and keep a minimum distance of 02 meters from others in public places.

The people in the City are requested to visit medical examination and treatment establishments for examination and screening as prescribed when showing any symptoms or having any epidemiological factors relating to COVID-19; medical declaration must be carried out honestly, avoiding the concealment of disease.

3. People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and districts must not be subjective or lose vigilance; continue to strictly adhere to the following principles: Prevention - Detection - Isolation - Zoning - Suppression (especially focusing on detection stage)”; promote the spirit of “every citizen is a soldier fighting against the pandemic”; the people must self-consciously protect themselves and their families against the risk of pandemic; continue to strictly implement the instructions in Section 14 of the Official Dispatch No. 1749/UBND-VX dated May 30, 2021 of the City People's Committee; strengthen the inspection, control and strictly handle cases of violation.

People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and districts shall, based on the Decision No. 2686/QD-BCDQG dated May 31, 2021 of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, promulgating “the guidance on assessment of risk level and administrative measures in COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control”, implement, assess and forecast the risk according to 04 levels “very high risk”, “high risk” “moderate risk” and “new normal” for each area, prepare situation and solutions for each risk level, applied to the extent consistent with the results of epidemiological investigations to ensure dual goals.

4. The Department of Health shall

- Strengthen the direction of clinics and hospitals to strictly implement procedures and management, to cross-infection in medical examination and treatment establishments; apply electronic medical declaration; strictly control, require mandatory medical declaration for everyone when entering medical examination and treatment establishments; allow only one caregiver per patient; stop the visiting of patients at hospitals; promulgate strict regulations on patient admission. In case of detecting any COVID-19 case in the inpatient area of a hospital, the entire hospital shall be blocked until the situation is under control. Upon detecting any suspected cases by screening, the hospital must stop receiving patients for disinfecting and cleaning such areas.

- Maximize the testing capacity of the City's medical establishments and coordinate with the central medical establishments located in the City and private hospitals; deploy information technology software to manage and coordinate the testing with the motto of “speed and focused testing”, for timely pandemic prevention.

- Arrange adequate human resources and plans for pandemic prevention and control, ensuring readiness to respond to pandemic on a large scale; proactively develop a response plan to combat the pandemic with 5,000 infected cases; prepare supplies, equipment, drugs, biological products, chemicals according to the motto “5 on the spot”; prepare treatment establishments that can receive large numbers of infected cases: Assign 07 hospitals of the City to provide treatment for COVID-19 patients with 2,000 patient beds, 1,000 resuscitation beds and 1,000 mechanical ventilators (including Cho Ray Hospital, Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Cu Chi Field Hospital, Can Gio COVID-19 Treatment Hospital, Children Hospital 2 and Pham Ngọc Thach Hospital); establish more field hospitals with total capacity of 3,000 beds.

5. The Department of Transport is assigned to coordinate with relevant units in organizing the inspection and supervision of the strict implementation of directions specified in Section 7 of the Official Dispatch No. 1749/UBND-VX dated May 30, 2021 of the City People’s Committee; actively monitor and decide the operation of road transportation routes in accordance with practical situation or directions of the competent authorities and report to the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.

6. The Department of Industry and Trade is assigned to direct market systems in the City, especially the Ho Chi Minh City Union of Trading Cooperatives (Saigon Co.op) to:

- Increase the adequate supply of goods, stabilize prices to serve the people, prevent shortage of goods; encourage online purchases.

- Ensure the distance at the supermarket systems in the City in the direction of dividing in batches, regulating the number of customers in and out of the supermarket appropriately, avoid mass gatherings at the cashier; carry out medical declaration procedures and check body temperature for all people entering and leaving the supermarket.

- Keep the temperature of air conditioners at supermarkets and convenience stores not lower than 25⁰C while ensuring ventilation, hygiene and preservation of goods.

7. Regarding the working methods of state agencies and units: Continue following guidelines in the Official Dispatch No. 1803/UBND-VX dated June 03, 2021 of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee. The Department of Home Affairs is requested to advice to adjust a number of contents according to the development of pandemic and the applicable social distancing measure.

Companies, enterprises and corporations, including foreign-invested companies are encouraged to minimize direct activities, and change the way of working to online working, only go to offices only when necessary.

8. The City Police Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Information and Communications, People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and districts are assigned to strictly handle, including handle according to criminal law cases of reporting untruthful information, failing to make medical declarations, making untruthful medical declarations, evading, opposing or failing to comply with quarantine measures in accordance with law provisions.

9. The Department of Planning and Investment is assigned to assume the prime responsibility and coordinate with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, the Department of Industry and Trade, the Department of Finance, the Department of Health and relevant units in, urgently submitting the City People’s Council to adopt a number of policies and regimes, serving the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, and supporting the people, enterprises, organizations and individuals affected by COVID-19 pandemic in Ho Chi Minh City.

10. The Department of Information and Communications is assigned to continue promoting communication on COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control on the mass media and social networking platforms, focusing on information about positive results, models, practices and the spirit of community cooperation in the prevention and control of COVID-19 pandemic; instruct the people not to comment or share information relating to the COVID-19 pandemic that has not been announced by functional agencies to avoid public confusion.

Heads of Departments, sectors and branches; Chairpersons of People’s Committees of Thu Duc City and districts are requested to strictly implement this Official Dispatch and take responsibilities before the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee for any violations within their units and localities./.