The 097 campaign is expected to battle coronavirus epidemic in HCMC
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam noted that from July 9, the southern metropolis began implementing the 15-day social distancing, which is quite difficult for the country’s largest city with a population of over 10 million.
Therefore, in the 15 days of social distancing implementation according to Directive 16, the city must make drastic efforts to end the epidemic situation.
Deputy Prime Minister Dam asked Ho Chi Minh City to be clear when assigning work to departments and each person with specific goals. He pointed out that the health sector in the city must be proactive in carrying out epidemiological data analysis to anticipate the situation as well as careful about the epidemic situation in traditional markets and industrial parks.
During the implementation of social distancing measures to impede the coronavirus, the city authorities must take stronger measures to stamp out the epidemic early; while at the same time ensuring the lives of the people. How to suppress the epidemic and keep the people safe. If the people agree with the government, the epidemic will be successful," Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam emphasized.
Commenting on the epidemic situation of localities, Chairman Phong said that local administrations have had good performance in investigating Covid-19 cases as well as isolating, collecting samples and tracing measures; however, he expected they will be more drastic in implementing preventative measures.
The City established a Command Center to operate the campaign to implement Directive 16 at the City People's Committee yesterday.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam (R) and Chairrman of HCMC People's Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong at the meeting (Photo: SGGP)
Chairman Phong emphasized that this is an important time for the battle of the epidemic and the solidarity can help us in preventing it adding that he named the 15-day campaign 097 whose success requires efforts by the entire political system of the city and joint effort and support of all dwellers.
Dao Gia Vuong, Chairman of District People's Committee in Binh Chanh outlying district, said at the working session that on July 8 only, 187 cases of Covid-19 were recorded in the district. Of these cases, 121 patients were locally-transmitted cases while other 10 cases were found in isolation camps. The health sector in the district has been carrying out an urgent epidemiological investigation of 56 cases. From April 27 to now, the district has recorded 1,091 cases, mainly in Binh Dien market and around this area; and Vinh Loc Industrial Zone...
In addition, the district has been taking 1,271 people to concentrated isolation facilities and monitoring nearly 4,000 cases. Collection of 318,000 samples for community testing has been conducted on residents in all 16 communes accounting for 40.27 percent. The leader of Binh Chanh district said that the epidemic situation in the locality is very complicated as there has been cross-infection especially amongst traders in Binh Dien wholesale market.
Regarding the implementation of Directive 16, Chairman Vuong affirmed that this is a "golden opportunity" for the district to focus all its efforts on carrying out tracing measures and collecting samples in 52 high-risk areas. At the same time, the locality has also carefully prepared material and human resources to set up 21 roadblocks on some main roads and the border with the Mekong Delta Province of Long An to prevent people from moving out of the district in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also at the working session, Hoang Minh Tuan Anh, Chairman of District 7 People's Committee, said that the district has so far recorded 289 Covid-19 cases with 390 contacts F1. District 7 Hospital took samples to test 700 workers of a business establishment in the district on July 8, detecting 50 suspected cases of Covid-19. This shows that the epidemic in the district is very complicated. The district has planned to convert four primary schools into concentrated isolation camps for contacts F1 in case the number of cases in the area increases abnormally," said chairman Tuan Anh.
Worse, according to Le Thi Thanh Thao, Chairwoman of the District 6 People's Committee, the number of F0 cases in the area is increasing including many cases without a source of infection. The district administration has asked for approval from the city authorities for using an empty housing project in the area as a field hospital to treat 1,000 patients in the near future.
