Official Dispatch 2789/BCD-VX 2021 COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Ho Chi Minh City

To attain the objective of controlling the pandemic in the City before September 15, 2021, pursuant to the Plan No. 2715/KH-BCD dated August 15, 2021 of the Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on the implementation of urgent measures to prevent and control COVID-19 pandemic in line with the Government's Resolution No. 86/NQ-CP dated August 06, 2021, the City shall strengthen the imposition of social distancing measures under the Prime Minister’s Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 with the motto “every commune, ward, township; each office, factory, enterprise is a fortress in pandemic prevention” from 00:00 on August 23 until the end of September 6, 2021;

The Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control request Heads of Departments, sectors and branches of the City; Chairpersons of People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City to strengthen the implementation of the following measures:

1. To thoroughly implement the social distancing:

1.1. To strictly implement home isolation; all families, residential groups/people’s groups, neighborhoods/hamlets, wards/communes/townships shall be isolated from one another:

- To establish special working groups in wards, communes and townships, focusing on “high risk” and “very high risk” areas (“orange areas”, “red areas”); members of such groups include Chairpersons of People's Committees of wards, communes and townships, police, army forces, civil servants, public employees of the City, districts, Thu Duc City, and cadres of wards, communes and townships, members of community-based COVID groups. They shall inspect, remind and mobilize people to effectively implement the social distancing; maintain self-governing groups to protect green areas; buy food, foodstuff for citizens, ensure social security, etc. The working groups shall operate in wards, communes and townships and are managed by the People's Committees of wards, communes and townships (the City High Command is assigned to coordinate with the Department of Home Affairs, the City Public Security, and the City Border Guard in advising on the implementation).

1.2. To review subjects allowed to participate in movement and tighten up the management of such subjects:

- To continue to control the movement of citizens (time frames, subjects allowed to move...); guide agencies and units to identify identification signs of their cadres, civil servants and employees when participating in movement; uniformly implement the work from 00:00 on August 23, 2021 (or earlier) (the City Public Security assigned to to advise on the implementation).

- To apply the working methods as follows: cadres, civil servants and public employees of state agencies shall work from home; particularly, forces involved in pandemic prevention and control and emergency works can work with "3-on-spot” method or according to the assignment on a rotational basis (the Department of Home Affairs is assigned to advise on the implementation).

- To manage the shippers’ distribution of goods to households (the Department of Industry and Trade is assigned to coordinate with the City Public Security in advising on the implementation).

- Chairpersons of People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City shall research, implement measures so that the citizens go to markets once a week (for “green areas”).

2. To ensure social security:

- To fully support for those missing in the welfare package No. 2, implement measures to support owners of bedsits (exemption and reduction of electricity and water bills) (the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs is assigned to advise on the implementation)

- To prepare 2 million “social security bags” (bags of groceries), ensuring the principle of not missing cases in difficulty; provide nutritious servings for F0 cases in difficulties (the Center of receipt and support of essential goods to serve people hit by the COVID-19 pandemic is assigned to advise on the implementation)

3. To strengthen measures to control the pandemic and minimize deaths:

3.1. The testing work:

To implement the Plan No. 2716/KH-UBND dated August 15, 2021 of the People’s Committee of the City on the implementation of SARS-CoV-2 testing in the City. The Department of Health is assigned to coordinate with the People’s Committees of districts and Thu Duc City in strengthening the following contents:

- To take testing for all households in "red areas" by methods of rapid testing, pooled sample testing.

- To take testing for the following additional subjects: employees of supermarkets, freight drivers, pharmacists, employees of urban environmental sanitation enterprises, public service companies of garbage collection (drivers, garbage collectors), staff on duty at checkpoints, anti-pandemic support forces, employees at filling stations (once every 7 days).

3.2. Vaccination:

- To speed up the vaccination schedule, strive to get the target specified in the Plan No. 2715/KH-BCD dated August 15, 2021 of the Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control (The Department of Health is assigned to coordinate with districts and Thu Duc City in the implementation).

- To continue to strengthen propaganda, timely provide information, and orient the public opinion on vaccination (the Department of Information and Communications shall coordinate with the Propaganda and Training Commission of the City Party Committee in advising on the implementation).

3.3. Home treatment for F0 cases:

- To establish 400 more mobile health stations (consisting of 01 doctor, 02 nurses, 04 volunteers (youth volunteers, municipal Youth Union)) in areas with many F0 cases; with the function of participating in first aid, monitoring F0 cases being in home treatment. The medical stations shall be equipped with bags of medicines, 3-5 medical oxygen cylinders, pulse oximeters, rapid test tools, etc. (the Department of Health is assigned to guide the districts and Thu Duc city to implement this task).

- To prepare 100,000 bags of medicines for home treatment for F0 cases (The Department of Health shall implement this task).

4. Supply of goods:

The Department of Industry and Trade shall, on the basis of the existing distribution system of the City, coordinate with the special working group of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in regulation to ensure the adequate supply of goods, especially essential goods for the City.

5. Operations of enterprises:

To strengthen the inspection and supervision of enterprises. Only if the requirements specified in the Plan No. 2715/KH-BCD dated August 15, 2021 of the Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control are met, are enterprises allowed to continue their operations. (The Department of Industry and Trade, management board of export-processing zones and industrial parks, management board of hi-tech parks is assigned to implement this content).

6. Heads of Departments, sectors and branches of the City; Chairpersons of People's Committees of Thu Duc City and districts, wards, communes, townships shall, based on the Plan No. 2715/KH-BCD dated August 15, 2021 of the Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, on the implementation of urgent measures to prevent and control COVID-19 pandemic in line with the Government's Resolution No. 86/NQ-CP dated August 06, 2021 and the above directions, make implementation plans of their localities, including full contents and measures to implement social distancing, ensure security and order, provide food and foodstuffs for households, monitor and take care for F0 cases at home, ensure the social security for cases in difficulties, operate, arrange reasonably forces and equipment, etc. to efficiently implement COVID-19 prevention and control work.

The Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control requests Heads of Departments, sectors and branches of the City; Chairpersons of People's Committees of districts and Thu Duc City to strictly implement the above contents. Any difficulty and problem arising in the course of implementation should be promptly reported to the Municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control for consideration and settlement./.