Experts from the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control check a quarantine centre in the northern mountainous province of Lao Cai. (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The COVID-19 pandemic has been well controlled in Vietnam,
but risks of an outbreak are still present, especially with the Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday
approaching, leading experts to warn that people need to strictly abide by
preventive regulations.
Associate
professor , senior advisor to the Vietnam Emergency Operations
Centre, told Ha Noi Moi (New Hanoi)
newspaper that the current risk of infection was mainly due to a lack of strict
control of entry and lax quarantining.
Each
ministry, branch and locality must continue to seriously implement pandemic
prevention and control measures, he said, adding that along with the strict
control and prevention of illegal entry, local authorities and police need to
closely monitor border areas, especially land borders.
Along
calling on provincial and municipal health departments to strictly implement
COVID-19 pandemic prevention and control measures, Minister of Health Nguyen
Thanh Long urged the entire health sector to consider pandemic prevention an
immediate and long-term central task.
“To
celebrate Tet in a healthy and
safe manner, people should implement the and control
measures set by the health sector. Border provinces need to implement strong
measures to prevent illegal entry, raise vigilance and fight signs of
neglect,” he said.
There are
only about 20 days until Tet, so
more people are out and about shopping. To ensure safety, Tran Van Chung,
deputy director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said that inspectors would
focus on checking food businesses’ prevention and control in
supermarkets, restaurants, shopping malls and markets. Those that fail to
comply with pandemic preventive measures would be penalised.
Chung told
food producers and traders to increase hygiene and disinfection, measure body
temperatures, put antiseptic hand sanitiser in a convenient location, guide
customers to wear masks, wash hands with antiseptic and refuse to serve
customers who do not wear masks.
People
working in customer contact positions should wear masks properly, limit
handshakes and keep a distance of about one metre when in contact with
customers. People should not enter service areas if they show signs of fever or
cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue or are in home quarantine following the
request of health authorities.
Nguyen Khac
Hien, Director of the Hanoi Department of Health, said the number of people
travelling during Tet was very
large, so at bus stations managers must strengthen measures to fight the
pandemic.
Officers,
employees and passengers entering and leaving stations must conduct
sterilisation and wear masks to ensure safety. Bus stations must also arrange
security forces to closely monitor regulation implementation.
At medical
examination and treatment establishments, it is necessary to review the entire
medical examination and treatment process and strictly comply with the health
ministry’s pandemic prevention regulations.
“The simple
but most effective ‘weapon’ to fight the pandemic is the people’s awareness,
for their family, for the community and the society,” said Hien./.
Source: VietnamPlus
