People are shopping in the Union Square Saigon Shopping Mall in District 1. (Photo: SGGP)
From the beginning of October, the new infections have dropped below 2,000 and under 1,000 cases per day at present instead of nearly 3,000 cases everyday in the end of September. On October 26, the city recorded the lowest number of daily Covid-19 deaths of 27 since August, presenting the city’s effective pandemic prevention measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, including the effort in order to reach citywide vaccine coverage goal.
As of now, HCMC has administered 12.8 million Covid-19 jabs, including 7.2 million people receiving the first shot and 5.7 million persons getting the second jab.
People have promptly adapted to the new normal state. The municipal authorities have removed Covid-19 checkpoints and barriers, making travel easier for residents and create favorable conditions for people returning to the city to work.
Chairman of the HCMC People’s Committee Phan Van Mai answered questions from the Sai Gon Giai Phong Newspaper on October 28. He affirmed that the city has reopened business and production activities step-by-step. The resumption of the operation focuses on enterprises in industrial parks and export processing zones, high-tech parks with more than 93 percent of businesses reopened and over 70 percent of workers back to work.
According to Director of the Department of Health of HCMC Tang Chi Thuong, HCMC is at the pandemic alert level 2 equivalent to the “yellow zone”.
The city’s health sector has also built the pandemic response scenarios to prevent and control the disease effectively under the Government’s resolution 128.
Experts suggested that the city should accept a rise in number of new infections but under control in the context of receiving workers back to the workplace and offer flexible response measures to help businesses re-operate.
Parents can take their children to visit bookstores in HCMC. (Photo: SGGP)
Chairwoman of the Business Association of High Quality Vietnamese Goods, Vu Kim Hanh said that enterprises needs to establish quick response groups coordinated with mobile healthcare stations to help workers with confirmed Covid-19 infection.
Secretary of the Party Committee of Hoc Mon District Tran Van Khuyen noted that people and businesses deeply acknowledge prevention and control measures of Covid-19. Additionally, districts have achieved high vaccine coverage. Therefore, businesses need to stay calm to handle with Covid-19 cases detected in the workplaces.
HCMC has more than 13,000 doctors and 20,000 nurses working in medical facilities across the city. Most of them have gained a lot of experience in fighting against Covid-19. The health sector has continuously provided treatment for Covid-19 patients to reduce Covid-19 fatality rate and training courses on caring for F0 cases, added Associate Professor, Ph.D., Director of the HCMC Department of Health, Dr. Tang Chi Thuong.
According to Director of the Department of Trade and Industry Bui Ta Hoang Vu, HCMC is promptly carrying out plans on the connection of supply and demand with provinces nationwide in order to seek reliable suppliers of high-quality products at reasonable prices. The municipal authorities has also supported localities to developed their key products and city’s businesses to connect with provinces and cities. The Department of Trade and Industry has worked with 22 provinces and cities in the Southeastern and Mekong Delta regions to promote the trade and supply of commodities between HCMC and the localities.
As of now, nearly 62,300 businesses with more than one million employees have resumed operation, including 1,321 enterprises with around 201,300 workers in industrial parks and export processing zones, high-tech parks, said Director of the Department of of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs Le Minh Tan.
Assoc.Prof. Dr. Le Thanh Sang. Director of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences suggested that policies of production and business recovery, and reopening criteria of ministries, departments and localities must be announced clearly in order to ensure the effective implementation and dual goal of both preventing the Covid-19 pandemic and developing the economy. Trans-provincial transportation, the “Covid green card” guidance and administrative procedures need to be simplified to prevent disruption of supply chain of essential goods. Besides, recovery loans must be designed to help businesses recover.
