Official Dispatch No. 4352/BYT-MT guiding the quarantine and testing in industrial parks

In the implementation of the Prime Minister's Official Telegram No. 680/CD-TTg dated May 24, 2021, on ensuring COVID-19 safety in industrial parks; the Ministry of Health (the standing agency of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control) hereby requests ministries, branches, and provincial-level People's Committees to urgently direct the implementation of the following contents:

1. Strictly compliance with guidelines and written directions on COVID-19 prevention and control at production and business establishments and industrial parks of the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control and the Ministry of Health, including the Official Dispatch No. 1096/BYT-MT dated February 23, 2021, Official Dispatch No. 3836/CV-BCD dated May 05, 2021, and Official Dispatch No. 4150/BYT-MT dated May 21, 2021.

2. Production and business establishments and industrial parks must assess the risk of COVID-19 infection at workplaces and dormitories as specified in the Decision No. 2194/QD-BCDQG dated May 27, 2020, on promulgating "the Guidance on prevention, control, and assessment of the risk of COVID-19 infection at the workplaces and dormitories for workers”.

The inspection and assessment results shall be used as a basis for considering and deciding to allow departments, lines, or workshops of a production and business establishment or the entire production and business establishment to continue manufacturing or suspending operations to ensure safety for pandemic prevention and control.

3. Provincial-level People’s Committees shall direct the provincial-level Department of Industry and Trade to assume the prime responsibility for, and coordinate with Management Boards of industrial parks in, inspecting, supervising, and urging production and business establishments in localities to continue assessing their safety during COVID-19 pandemic and updating on the COVID-19 safe map.

4. Production and business establishments and industrial parks are required to organize SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen tests on a weekly basis for involved subjects and report results to the provincial-level Departments of Health. Those who are required to be tested on a weekly basis include:

- All employees participating in providing services for production and business establishments in industrial parks such as catering, hotel and accommodation services for experts, transportation of materials and goods, repair and maintenance of machinery, etc.

- 20% of employees in production and business establishments, industrial parks, and bedsits of at-risk employees shall be randomly tested.

5. Strict management shall be applied to employees traveling to or coming from outbreak areas or those who participate in high-risk crowded events. All employees in industrial parks and relevant people (those who provide services, food portions or transport materials and goods, etc.) are required to make a mandatory medical declaration.

6. Vehicles used to transport employees must meet requirements on pandemic prevention and control, including social distancing (using less than 50% of transport capacity), opening windows (if any) and limiting the use of air conditioners, cleaning and disinfecting vehicles after each trip and implementing 5K rules.

7. In case an infected case is confirmed at a production and business establishment or industrial park, before quarantining all close contacts (F1 cases), it is required to conduct grouping according to each production line, workshop, and level of exposure risk; arrange groups with the same risk for quarantine in the same quarantine area.

8. Pilot implementation of the following provisions for Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces: When the number of F1 cases exceeds the local quarantine capacity, a centralized quarantine institution (lockdown area) may be applied in the area or location where a large number of F1 employees stay (dormitory, bedsits with a large number of employees). At the same time, the same regulations as for concentrated quarantine areas must be complied with; surveillance cameras must be installed, employees must not leave their place of residence; cases of non-compliance causing cross-infection in the lockdown area and spreading to the community shall be strictly handled.

Sincerely./.