The Directive mentions that, in response to the Call of the General Secretary cum President Nguyen Phu Trong in the Directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 of the Prime Minister on the implementation of urgent measures to prevent and control COVID-19 pandemic. The Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee requested Departments, branches, People’s Committees of districts, towns to continue to strictly comply with the direction on pandemic prevention by the Politburo, Secretariat, the Government, the Prime Minister, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, instructions of the Ministry of Health, instructions of the Party Committee and the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Hanoi city, especially the Directive No. 15/CT-TTg dated March 27, 2020 issued by the Prime Minister.
Each capital citizen should calmly and strongly implement social distancing
A particular focus should be placed on effectively implementing the following urgent measures: implementing social distancing within 15 days from 0:00 am on April 1, 2020 in the whole city, following the principle of social distancing between families, between villages, between communes, between districts, and between cities/provinces; in workshops and factories: ensuring the safe distance, wearing mask, performing sterilization and disinfection as prescribed. For people: staying at home, except for those who have to go out, when necessary, e.g for buying food/medicine, giving first aid, working at factories, or facilities manufacturing and/or providing essential services and goods which do not close/discontinue, and in other emergencies; strictly observe the minimum distance of 2m when communicating; not gather more than 2 people outside of offices, schools, hospitals and at public places.
The People’s Committee of Hanoi city requires all people to voluntarily abide by the Prime Minister’s direction. The measure of “social distancing” at the moment will have a great and decisive effect on the prevention and control of the pandemic. Especially, each individual should check whether or not they, their family members, their neighbors, or their friends are related to the “outbreak” at Bach Mai Hospital or to people who come back from pandemic zones in other countries. If any, such person must immediately quarantine at home, promptly make voluntary medical declaration, and promptly inform medical clinic for taking samples for testing. At the moment, all those who have been present in Bach Mai Hospital from March 10, 2020 to March 28, 2020 or have come into contact with people who had been present in Bach Mai Hospital in such time period, will be at high risk of COVID-19 infection. Everyone should participate in the pandemic prevention and control activities of the authorities and the community. The heads of enterprises or facilities manufacturing or trading goods and services are responsible for taking measures to prevent and control the pandemic at their facility, ensuring the health and safety of their employees.
Each capital citizen should be calm, assured, and continue to trust and support the pandemic prevention and control measures. The whole pandemic prevention and control work is currently under strict control; however, the “success” or “failure” in the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic depends on the joint participation and responsibility of all people in the capital. As the city authority has made sufficient preparation of food and essentials, people must not gather to buy and store goods that poses a high risk of infection in the community. In addition, households and building apartment management boards should actively inspect electrical equipment and fire protection equipment to ensure no electrical incidents, fire and explosion incidents occur.
Gathering of more than 2 people outside offices, schools, hospitals and at public places is not allowed
State authorities and agencies shall arrange for officials, cadres, civil servants, public employees and workers to work at home using IT system (except for those who must work at office to be on duty, supply essential goods and services, process confidential documents, participate in directing and organizing the implementation of pandemic prevention and control). Other cases of working at office must be approved in writing by the Central and City Steering Committee for Disease Control. The head of the authority or agency shall make a list of cadres, civil servants and employees working at office, and take responsibility for any case of pandemic infection among cadres, civil servants and employees due to failure to strictly comply with the regulations on pandemic prevention and control.
Service provision facilities shall close or suspend all services, except for general supermarkets (excluding entertainment and on-site catering services); Trade center (including general supermarkets as mentioned above, hospitals); Local markets (including stalls selling food, foodstuffs, vegetables, fruits, dried foods); Convenience stores, mini supermarkets (except for on-site catering services); Grocery stores, fruit stores; Tourist accommodation facilities; Store selling agricultural products, foodstuffs, medicines; Health care service provision facilities; Postal service provision facilities; Banking and electronic payment service provision facilities; Telecommunication and television service provision facilities; Security service provision facilities; Gasoline, oil and gas stores; Funeral service provision facilities, cemeteries, crematories; Centers for alcohol and drug treatment; Social protection facilities. When being involved in the above-mentioned services, everyone must wear a mask, keep a minimum distance of 2m from each other, and clean and disinfect as guided by the Health sector.
Plants, factories, production facilities, and construction sites shall allow their employees to stay at home, at the residence place, at factory, or at construction site (if any), except for the following cases: essential goods producing and trading facilities such as production, preliminary processing, and processing of foods, foodstuffs, fruits, pharmaceuticals, medicines, medical devices and supplies used for the pandemic prevention and control, and national security and defense; electricity, water, and environmental sanitation service provision facilities; livestock and poultry and aquaculture farms; water supply plants; medical mask garment factories; bottled water, juice manufacturing factories; plants and factories having orders under contracts signed before April 15, 2020. The plants, factories, sites, etc. falling to the above cases must ensure strict compliance with regulations on labor protection, wear mask, keep a safe distance, take measures to prevent the pandemic at the workplace, and ensure health for workers. What is more, the plants, factories, sites, etc. must require their suspected employees and workers who were present in Bach Mai hospital or whose family or friends were present in Bach Mai hospital from March 10 to 28, 2020 to be quarantined and tested for COVID-19.
In addition, it is required to postpone or cancel meetings and events where more than 20 people gather in one room; to maintain the minimum distance of 2m when communicating; to wear mask; not to gather more than 2 people outside the workplace, school, hospital and public place; not to hold religious rituals and activities with 20 or more people at religious, belief and worship places; not to hold cultural, sports and entertainment activities at public places. When less than 20 people gather at one place, it is necessary to conduct medical disinfection and sanitation, check body temperature, wear mask, and maintain the minimum distance of 2m between each other.
Handling the “outbreak” at Bach Mai Hospital using all available resources in a prompt, rigorous, and thorough manner.
Directors of Departments, divisions and branches shall strictly follow the directions of the City authority in a consistent manner, without arbitrarily making separate plans. The Department of Health shall, in collaboration with the City Public Security, and the Chairmen of the People’s Committees of districts and towns, handle the “outbreak” at Bach Mai Hospital using all available resources in a prompt, rigorous, and thorough manner. All suspected people who came into contact with patients or people or students studying and practicing at Bach Mai hospital, or visiting or taking care of patients at Bach Mai Hospital, are required to immediately quarantine at home. In the quarantine process, the suspected people must not come into contact with their family members, must wear mask, ventilate their room, promptly make medical declaration, and immediately contact the medical facilities in the ward or district to be tested for COVID-19. It is required to, in collaboration with the City Public Security, make a list of suspected cases related to Truong Sinh Company activities and other companies that provide services to Bach Mai Hospital. Attention should be paid to employees who had been present at Bach Mai Hospital from March 10, 2020 to March 28, 2020 for medical supervision, surveillance, quarantine, and quick and thorough handling of the pandemic sources.
Mobile stations should be built for rapidly testing people who had been present at Bach Mai hospital. Especially, people who have come into contact with people related to Bach Mai Hospital cases or people going from other countries to the City from March 10, 2020 to March 28, 2020, must quarantine at home and notify medical facility to be tested.
Rapid testing stations should be built at some main gateways in and out of the City. The Official Dispatches No. 01/CD-UBND, 02/CD-UBND and 03/CD-UBND of the Chairman of the City People’s Committee on COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control should be strictly followed. Hospitals are required to: rigorously implement management procedures to avoid cross-infection within the hospitals; strictly control, require patients, patients’ family members and caregivers to make compulsory medical declaration; allow only one caregiver per patient; not to allow anyone to visit patients at medical facilities; set out strict regulations on receiving patients, without missing any people infected with COVID-19 that affect the whole hospital. The entire whole Nutrition department/team at the Hospitals must ensure that personnel, food and goods are in accordance with the regulations on food safety and nutrition; and the health standards, qualifications of nurses from the nutrition departments are in accordance with regulations of the Ministry of Health.
The City Public Security shall, in collaboration with the Department of Transport, establish control stations to supervise the compliance of people with the direction of the Prime Minister, and in collaboration with the Department of Health, build up some rapid testing stations at some main gateways of the city.
It is required to assume the prime responsibility, and direct the Public Security of districts, towns, communes, wards and townships to inspect the compliance with social distancing requirements in accordance with the guideline of the Prime Minister; coordinate with the Health sector in implementing measures to thoroughly deal with outbreaks in the area; control the people’s compliance with social distancing requirements as prescribed.
It is necessary to further direct the assurance of security, order and crime prevention in the city; take measures to prevent the pandemic at prisons managed by Public Security; strengthen the inspection and fire prevention work for apartment buildings, ensuring that 100% of existing firefighters are on duty and ready to perform tasks when unexpected situations occur.
The Hanoi Capital High Command shall, in collaboration with the health force, continue to manage the concentrated quarantine areas in Hanoi; separate new quarantined people and existing quarantined people; ensure the appropriate distancing so as not to cause cross-infection of the pandemic in the quarantine area; recommend the City authority to request the Ministry of National Defense to assign the Vietnamese People’s Army Chemistry to spray disinfectants when necessary.
Ensuring the sufficient supply of goods for residents, avoiding any lack of food
The Department of Industry and Trade has directed the supply of food, foodstuff, and essentials for residents; establishment of reserve plan in case the quarantine period is prolonged; establishment of a list of vehicles transporting and distributing food, foodstuff, essentials, medicine, medical supplies and equipment serving the pandemic prevention and control, and security and national defense.
Photo: Internet.
The Department of Transport has directed the suspension of all operations of buses, taxi, motorbike taxi, and interprovincial bus; . Additionally, it is required to coordinate with the City Public Security to set up stations for monitoring the compliance of people with the Prime Minister’s direction; give priority to vehicles used for diplomatic and state-duty purposes, vehicles transporting food, foodstuff, medicine, ambulances, fire engines, vehicles for electricity and water repair purposes, vehicles collecting, transporting and treating waste, vehicles used for incident handling purposes (traffic accidents, tree falling, etc.), vehicles carrying medical materials and equipment for pandemic prevention and control, and security and national defense, vehicles carrying materials and equipment for construction works and factories, and vehicles transporting workers and experts at production site which are permitted to operate as mentioned above.
It is necessary to carry out goods transportation as directed by the Ministry of Transport; allow some workers to continue to carry out repair and replacement of expansion joints of the high-rise ring road 3, provided that the number of workers working on the construction site does not exceed 10 people, and they use protective personal equipment, wear masks, and keep maintain a safe distance.
The Department of Construction has directed the suspension of all construction works and request clean water companies and environmental sanitation and drainage service providers to meet the demands of the people in the city.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has directed the maintenance of agricultural production activities, irrigation services for agricultural production, livestock and poultry husbandry and aquaculture; implementation of pandemic prevention and control measures such as wearing a mask, maintaining a minimum distance of 2m with between people involved in production.
The Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs has directed the assurance of social security for policy beneficiaries, the poor, and unemployed workers who are not covered by unemployment insurance; collaboration with Hanoi City Social Security in implementing unemployment insurance policy for employees; the strict compliance with the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control requirements at centers for alcohol and drug treatment, social protection facilities, and nursing centers.
The Department of Finance has recommended ensuring the funding for the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control as required.
The Department of Information and Communication has, in collaboration with the City Party Committee’s Commission for Propaganda and Training, directed and instructed press agencies to continue carrying out communication and propaganda on the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control, and on the protection of the people’s health; strictly handled cases of posting news that cause confusion and misunderstanding and affect the pandemic prevention in the city.
Hanoi Industrial and Export Processing Zone Authority has directed enterprises in industrial and export processing zone to implement COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures as directed by the Prime Minister.
The companies supplying electricity, water, telecommunication services, etc. to residents are required to apply the form of payment via card, via internet, and after April 15, 2020.
Chairmen of People’s Committees of districts and towns are responsible for comprehensive guidance on the implementation of social distancing in their areas in line with the direction of the Prime Minister and the City People’s Committee. Communes, wards, towns and quick response groups must be on duty 24/7 to be informed by residents of suspected cases and organize quick sampling for testing. Based on the actual situation, personnel are assigned to regularly check and inspect the compliance with social distancing, ensuring the security and order in the area (when patrolling, monitoring, personnel must wear mask and keep a safe distance).
The 4 on-spot requirements must be complied with. Sufficient goods and essentials must be supplied to residents in the area. It is also required to coordinate with the Department of Industry and Trade in ensuring the supply of food, foodstuff and essentials when necessary; take the COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures in the area in a drastical, prompt and serious manner under the direction of the Party Committee, the People’s Committee, the Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control of Hanoi City, and the guidance of Health sector.
People leaving from pandemic zones, people in close contact with patients (F1, F2, F3) and other related cases must be promptly reviewed and thoroughly identified to implement medical quarantine and take specimen for testing as prescribed (paying special attention to those related to the “outbreak” at Bach Mai Hospital).
Measures to ensure social security, social subsidies for policy beneficiaries, the poor, the disadvantaged must be taken to avoid the case that any people lack food or foodstuff. Form of pension payment via ATM card or at home shall be applied.
The Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi city and socio-political organizations are requested to further propagandize and mobilize people to strictly take social distancing measures to prevent and control the pandemic, and place trust in the pandemic prevention and control activities of the Government and the City authority.
Quoc Tuan