Prime Minister orders more drastic actions to fight COVID-19

ABO/NDO - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said that pandemic prevention and control efforts should continue to follow his previous instructions but in a more rigorous and united manner.

His instructions were detailed in a notice issued by the Government’s Office on July 6, summing up the PM’s online meeting with Ho Chi Minh City and seven provinces in the southern key economic region on COVID-19 prevention and control recently.

PM Chinh said more temporary hospitals for COVID-19 should be set up if necessary, vaccination should be accelerated in line with plans, and stressed that there is no such thing as relaxing control to reach herd immunity and letting only the strong to survive like groundless rumours said.

Students of Hanoi Medical University head to Binh Duong province to assist the locality in the pandemic fight. (Photo: VNA).

In the economic sphere, the PM ordered efforts be focused on curbing inflation and spurring growth, and avoiding extreme behaviours that would hurt the national economy and disrupt production.

He asked the localities to proactively and flexibly adjust their leadership mechanisms to optimise the strength of the entire political system in COVID-19 prevention and control.

The first and foremost priority must be given to protect the health and safety of the people, the PM said, suggesting the localities strengthen forces on the frontline of the pandemic combat, and step up the delegation of authority and assign specific responsibility to each individual at every level and in every aspect in the combat.

HCM City and other localities need to work together to agree on measures to manage the movement of people and vehicles to and from pandemic-hit areas to prevent pandemic spread while still ensuring smooth transport and trade activities, Chinh said.

The Government leader ordered ministries and agencies to actively remove obstacles in the pandemic fight and socio-economic development in HCM City and the seven localities in the southern key economic region.

For the vaccination drive, the Government encouraged localities to take the initiative in accessing vaccine supply sources and enhance the communications work to raise public awareness and involvement in the pandemic combat, the PM said.

(Source: NDO)