Vice Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Mr. Ngo Van Quy reported to the Prime Minister on the prevention and control of COVID-19 on April 28, 2020 – Photo by Le Xuan Hai
The directive clearly stated that, having had practicing social distancing according to directive No.16/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister, Hanoi had effectively controlled and contained the epidemic. However, the Covid-19 situation in the City was still complicated and the risk of spreading was still high.
As the City grasped thoroughly and implemented the Prime Minister’s order in directive No.19/CT-TTg dated April 24, 2020 on taking measures to prevent and control Covid-19 in the new situation, and directive No.31-CT/TU dated April 3, 2020 of the City Party Standing Committee and in order to effectively take measures to prevent and control the epidemic while relaunching and continue developing the economy as well as providing for social security, the Chairman of the City People’s Committee requested that departments, agencies, unions, and bodies of the City and the People’s Committees of rural districts, urban districts, and towns have a common approach in leading and organizing the strict implementation of the following opinions, principles, and guidelines:
Continue to raise awareness and readiness for action; thoroughly grasp the concept of “fighting against the epidemic like fighting against the enemy”; mobilize the participation of both the political system and all the people; promote disciplines, rules, and responsibilities of the ones in charge; strictly take measures to prevent and control the epidemic under the direction of the Politburo, the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Party, the National Assembly, the Government, the Prime Minister, the City Party Committee, and the City People’s Committee while continuing to develop production and business and handling employment issues under the current conditions in the City.
Cadres, Party members, public servants, and officials must be exemplary; take the lead in taking measures to prevent and control the epidemic; consistently follow the principles of epidemic prevention and control (prevention, detection, isolation, localization, elimination) while delivering good treatment works and minimizing the number of deaths; follow motto “four on-the-spot” and not underestimate or be overconfident about the outcomes: loosen up but not neglect the situation; gradually loosen restrictive measures, step by step restore socio-economic development on the basis of ensuring good control of the epidemic.
Continue taking the following measures: washing hands regularly with soap or disinfectant solutions; wearing a mask when going out; keeping a safe distance when interacting; not gathering into crowds in public places which are outside the workplaces, schools, or hospitals; continuing to cease festive activities, religious ceremonies, sports tournaments, crowded events in public places, stadiums, and unnecessary large events; holding funerals and weddings in a civilized manner, minimizing the gathering of large crowds and taking measures to prevent and control the epidemic; continuing cease the operation of non-essential service business establishments: amusement parks, entertainment centers, beauty establishments (except barbershops), karaoke establishments, massage establishments, bars, amusement arcades, Internet access establishments, theaters, and cinemas.
Service establishments with the exception of the above-mentioned ones may resume operation but must take measures to ensure safety for epidemic prevention and control (eg. equipping staff with protective equipment, measuring body temperature of incoming visitors; providing adequate means and supplies for hand washing and disinfection at the establishment; and practicing social distancing upon interacting. For F&B establishments where there is a risk of direct infection, it is required to maintain a distance of at least 02 meters between two people or at least 01 meter with a shield between two seats, not have the same utensils be used by two people or more, and encourage takeaway. Factories, production facilities, and construction sites continue to operate and must take measures to prevent and control the epidemic for workers.
Inter-provincial and intra-provincial public passenger transportation may resume, but with measures to ensure safety in the fight against the epidemics under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Health (passengers and drivers to wear masks, passengers to make medical declarations, providing soap and disinfectant solutions for passengers to wash hands).
Reduce in number and keep a distance among students in the classroom; arrange different times for class, lunch, group activities for different groups to prevent large crowds; have classrooms disinfected; combine the traditional learning and online learning methods; have students take preventive measures (specific plans to be as guided by the Education and Training and Health sectors).
The heads of agencies, units, organizations, and establishments are responsible for developing working plans for their units in an appropriate way to ensure safety for officials and employees; not holding unnecessary meetings and conferences; not delaying work especially work tasks with time limits and limitations as prescribed by law and public services and businesses; encouraging online meetings and working via Information Technology applications. Essential events serving political and socio-economic purposes must be decided by local Party committees and authorities with preventive measures in place (wearing masks, washing hands, keeping distance between seats, applying heath monitoring, not holding parties or celebrations).
Business shops, services, trade centers, and supermarkets in urban districts, towns and new urban areas (except for F&B, medicine, petrol and oil stores, food and fruit business in traditional markets) only open after 9 am daily to limit interaction and reduce traffic density in urban areas. Acts of encroaching on roadbeds and sidewalks for sale in any form are prohibited.
Continue to promote the propaganda about disease prevention and socio-economic development; intensify inspection and examination to strictly handle irresponsible organizations or individuals or those that commit acts of propagating and spreading untrue information or deliberately refuse to abide by the regulations on prevention and control the epidemic, including handling criminals according to regulations.
Directive No. 07/CT-UBND also emphasizes that Hanoi is in a high-risk group, with Me Linh and Thuong Tin districts being high-risk areas. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly perform specific tasks until the level of risk is adjusted. For Me Linh and Thuong Tin districts, it is required to continue to strictly apply disease prevention and control measures according to directive No. 16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 of the Prime Minister, Official Letter No. 2601/VPCP-KGVX dated April 3, 2020 of the Government Office, and directive No. 05/CT-UBND dated March 31, 2020 of the Chairman of the City People’s Committee. Transport vehicles are allowed to travel on inter-provincial roads and national highways in the City’s high-risk areas, but with measures to meet the requirements of epidemic prevention and control as prescribed and without parking or stopping to pick up or drop off passengers.
Other districts and towns shall strictly implement the above-mentioned opinions, principles, guidelines, mottos, and measures of disease prevention and control. People should be recommended not to leave their home if it is not necessary and take measures to prevent and control the epidemic; not gather more than 20 people in public places outside workplaces, schools, and hospitals; and keep a minimum distance of 1 meter when interacting.
Department of Health shall promptly detect, isolate, localize, and thoroughly handle outbreaks; apply information technology to search and identify cases of risk of infection; arrange appropriate channels and lines of treatment right from the stage of patient reception; prevent infection at health facilities; and ensure safety for health workers, people participating in epidemic prevention and control, seniors citizens, people with underlying medical conditions, and vulnerable people. A patient with severe conditions should be taken care of 01 caregiver only and no patient visit is allowed in hospitals in the area. The Department shall assume the prime responsibility and cooperate with the concerned units in promptly issuing guidance on taking measures to prevent and control the epidemic at medical, educational, production, business, and service facilities, construction sites, and means of transportation.
Hanoi Capital High Command shall assume the prime responsibility and cooperate with the Department of Health in providing for concentrated isolation according to the regulation that all cases of entry have to take samples for testing and classification, and continue to maintain and organize well the isolation, and improve living conditions at centralized isolation facilities.
Department of Industry and Trade shall be in charge of cooperating with relevant units in speeding up the signing of export contracts; preparing necessary conditions, goods, especially goods with export advantages and potential, to export as soon as countries remove the blockade and reopen; continuing to review to ensure the supply and transport, and supply of raw materials for production and export; promoting the development of the domestic market; taking measures to stimulate demand and boost consumption, especially for e-commerce, retail services, ensuring sufficient essential goods for people in all situations; gradually relaunching domestic tourism; and proactively studying and developing plans to relaunch socio-economic activities while ensuring the principle of safety in the fight against the epidemic.
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development shall direct the maintenance of agricultural production, irrigation services for agricultural production, activities for livestock and poultry breeding, and aquaculture; and apply information technology to ensure transparency on the origin of agricultural products, food safety with high qualification of productivity, and sustainable development while reducing social interaction in the City.
Management Boards of Industrial and Export Processing Zones in Hanoi, High-Tech Zones, Steering Committees for Disease Prevention and Control of urban districts, rural districts, and towns shall direct enterprises in industrial zones and export-processing zones to take COVID-19 prevention measures under the direction of the Prime Minister, the guidance of Ministry of Health, and the instructions of the City Party Committee and People’s Committee.
Department of Transport shall direct and perform checks on buses during operation, ensuring that all passengers wear masks and vehicles are disinfected and cleaned before and after shifts in accordance with instructions of Ministry of Health, and ensure that inter-provincial transportation of goods and passengers is carried put under the direction and instructions of Ministry of Transport.
Hanoi City Police, People’s Committees of urban districts, rural districts, and towns shall direct the police offices of rural districts, urban districts, towns, communes, wards, and townships, and relevant functional forces to intensify inspection and handle violations, ensuring strict compliance with disease prevention requirements under the Prime Minister’s directive and the City People’s Committee’s instruction.
Department of Culture and Sports shall assume the prime responsibility in cooperating with the City press in intensifying propaganda of code of conduct in public places, and studying the above-mentioned measures and behaviors on disease prevention and control to supplement the “code of conduct in public places in the City”, if necessary.
Department of Tourism shall manage and guide accommodation facilities and tourist facilities in compliance with the regulations on disease prevention and control under the guidance of Ministry of Health and the City.
Department of Foreign Affairs shall manage and guide diplomatic missions arriving in and departing from the City, follow immigration procedures for foreigners under the guidance of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and strictly comply with regulations of disease prevention and control.
Department of Labor, War Invalids, and Social Affairs, Department of Finance, and People’s Committees of urban districts, rural districts, and towns shall urgently take measures to ensure social security in accordance with Resolution No.42/NQ-CP dated April 9, 2020 of the Government on measures to support people in difficulties due to COVID-19, ensuring timeliness, publicity, transparency, right subjects, and strictly handle violations thereof.
Department of Information and Communications, Department of Science and Technology, Department of Education and Training, Department of Industry and Trade, and Office of the City People’s Committee shall advise the City People’s Committee on directing the application of information technology in medical examination and treatment, online working and learning, e-commerce, making non-cash payments, and following public administrative and service procedures, promoting the development of and e-Government and digital economy.
Hanoi People’s Committee also asked the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations to cooperate with the authorities at all levels in intensifying the mobilization of the mass to raise self-awareness and to promote active participation in epidemic prevention and control, and to continue to mobilize, take care of, and support people with difficulties due to the epidemic in the City.
The Chairman of Hanoi City People’s Committee requested that directors; heads of departments, agencies, unions, and bodies of the City; Chairman of People’s Committees of urban districts, rural districts, towns; and the organizations and individuals concerned strictly implement this Directive.
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