Illustrative image (Photo: VNA) Transport have reached an agreement on the testing protocol for truckers, a
move that will likely solve the shortage of essential goods in Ho Chi Minh
City.
Truckers must provide health officials with negative test results to COVID-19
done using quick tests or RT-PCR tests, which take longer to produce a result
but are usually more accurate. Test results will be valid and usable for 72
hours.
The MoH has pledged to set up additional testing sites along major routes to
speed up the process and tests for truckers will be supplied free of charge.
These measures were agreed upon during a meeting of the National Steering
Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control in Hanoi on July 17.
As for the other 19 provinces in the Mekong Delta, truckers may still travel
without a negative test result. However, they have been asked to regularly
disinfect their vehicles and limit contact with others. Local governments have
also been told to set rest stops for truckers, away from local
communities. The Ministry of Health has said it will set up 25 mobile
test units with capacity to perform over 2000 tests per day to
meet a rising demand for COVID tests. The units will be sent to high-risk localities.
The ministry said it has started talks with suppliers to secure more medical
resources including test kits, ventilators, PPE suits and dialysers.
The Ministry of Health has also set up a 1000-bed hospital under the ministry’s
direct management in HCM City but has left the door open to take further action
if necessary.
“The ministry will provide HCM City with the best doctors and resources.
We are determined to win this fight,” Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long
has said.
Also at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked health officials to
prioritise testing in COVID-19 hotspots such as HCM City and start preparing
for a worst-case scenario./.
Source: VietnamPlus
