COVID-19 fight is top priority in Long An, PM says

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh talks to a worker of Viet Nam Chingluh Shoes Co., LTD located at Thuan Dao Industrial Park in Ben Luc district, Long An province, July 10, 2021. Photo: VGP

Speaking at a working session with the local leaders on Saturday evening, the Government chief asked the Ministry of Health to allocate 400,000 vaccine doses needed to inoculate industrial workers in Long An - the 12th largest local-level economy in Viet Nam.

The locality bordering Ho Chi Minh City to the North has reported 347 community infection cases since the fourth wave of COVID-19 resurgence began in late April.

The southern province has imposed social distancing rules under the Government’s Directive No. 16 in Tan An city and districts of Ben Luc, Can Giuoc, Duc Hoa, and Can Duoc since July 8.

Meanwhile, ten other districts have been placed under social distancing in accordance with the Government’s Directive 15.

Despite the deployment of strict measures, the risk of COVID-19 transmission at industrial parks remains high as around 30,000 residents travel to work in Ho Chi Minh City and around 20,000 people travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Long An each day, according to provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Van Duoc.

The locality’s testing capacity reaches 16,000 samples per day but it needs to be further strengthened should the pandemic situation worsen in the time head, Nguyen said.

The local authorities has set up three field hospitals for COVID-19 treatment and planned to put into operation one more 400-bed field hospital within the next two days as the province is preparing for a scenario of 2,000 infection cases./.

By Quang Minh