HCMC Party Chief Nguyen Van Nen (R) pays a visit to an infirmary for treatment of Covid-19 patients (Photo: SGGP)
The City Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has just issued Directive No. 12 on strengthening several measures to implement the Prime Minister’s Directive 16 on the prevention of the Covid-19 pandemic in the southern metropolis.
Badly, despite city authorities' efforts to implement Directive 16 for the fight against the coronavirus, the Covid-19 epidemic in the southern city has been showing no signs of abatement with an increase in infection cases, especially in the blocked areas and isolation camps. Worse, severe cases and Coronavirus-related deaths have been surging; plus, hospitals have been overloaded because of the fast-spreading Delta variant.
Hence, the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee decided to apply more measures to strictly implement Directive 16 aiming to expand more safety areas and control the fast spread of the fatal virus.
Accordingly, a resident is only allowed to go out for buying essential commodities and medical treatment. People in blocked areas are permitted to buy food in supermarkets or traditional markets twice a week. The local government will provide food and essential items to residents at high risk of Covid-19.
People in isolation areas must not go out to talk with others except for a medical emergency.
Families with members F1 cases who are isolated at home must strictly abide by the health sector’s instruction not going out. Local administrations will supply them with food.
All construction sites and businesses selling non-essential commodities must be closed. Banks and securities companies are allowed to open but staff members should take turns to work.
Only drug stores and pharmaceutical companies, food enterprises and hospital catering services, companies providing water and electricity services, transportation for essential goods are eligible for opening.
Traditional markets must install plastic or glass shields to physically separate sellers from buyers. Sellers must take turns to work in traditional markets.
Employees in state-run organizations work alternate days in a week. Quarantine stations just receive vehicles with QR code carrying commodities into the city, vehicles of military forces, and vehicles taking residents back to their hometown as per schedule.
Directive 12 emphasized that the next two weeks play a vital role in the fight against the coronavirus epidemic in the city; therefore, the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee ordered leaders of all agencies and party committee members to take drastic measures to achieve the goal.
Directive 16 has been applied throughout the city for 15 days from July 9. Prior, HCMC had applied Directive 15+ for 15 days, especially Go Vap District and Thanh Loc Ward in District 12 applied Directive 16. From June 14, Ho Chi Minh City applied Directive 15 for an additional two weeks. From June 19, Ho Chi Minh City applied Directive 10.
