Vietnamese people and business become familiar with “new normal”

The city of Hoi An, Vietnam

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked that each person and enterprise in Vietnam familiarise themselves with the “new normal”, while chairing a cabinet meeting on COVID-19 prevention and control on September 11.

No new cases of community transmission have been reported for nine days and a continuous increase in the number of recoveries show that the disease has been brought under control nationwide, he said.

He reiterated the need, however, to remain vigilant, especially in the health sector and at hospitals, as there remains a risk of the disease breaking out once more, especially with several re-opening measures being applied in the time ahead.

Vietnam must continue working on the dual targets of disease prevention and economic development over the remainder of the year to achieve a positive growth rate, possibly 3 percent, he emphasised.

He asked ministries, sectors, and localities to create the conditions necessary for trade to flourish, and required localities to stay ready to attract investment, especially from major partners.

The Government leader asked the health sector to coordinate with ministries, sectors, and localities to publicise the latest disease prevention and control measures and to monitor and test all people entering Vietnam once international commercial flights resume.

He urged the Transport Ministry to direct airlines to consider resuming commercial flights to and from several nations and regions and opening flights for those transiting through Japan, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan (China), Laos, and Cambodia.

The ministry was also requested to coordinate with the ministries of Health, National Defence, Public Security, and Foreign Affairs when considering issues relating to the re-opening of international flights, including selecting prioritised passengers and airports, monitoring and quarantining passengers, and taking test samples.

He asked the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Transport to consider increasing the frequency of flights to and from countries that have not been so hard hit by the disease, to bring Vietnamese citizens home and facilitate investors, experts, and managers coming to the country.

The ministries of National Defence and Public Security and localities need to control and strictly punish those illegally entering Vietnam, while the ministries of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs, Finance, and Planning and Investment are asked to continue submitting to the PM measures to carry out the second phase of the social welfare assistance package and propose other packages in support of others, especially the unemployed./.