 (Photo: VNA) |
Bac Ninh province is one of the localities hardest hit by the 4th wave of the pandemic, with many cases reported in industrial parks that employ thousands of workers. The province has quickly responded to the surge with flexible, creative, and unprecedented measures. As soon as the first cases were reported, the province immediately activated its disease response system to quickly impose zoning, lockdown, and social distancing.
The province has set up more than 1,000 check points, distributed rotating market cards for the locals, asked residents not to leave their houses after 8pm except for emergencies, and encouraged people to work from home. The province asked companies inisde industrial parks to arrange temporary accommodations for workers in the industrial park. This was an unprecedented measure to maintain production while ensuring health safety for the workers and nearby residential areas.
Bui Hoang Mai, Head of Bac Ninh’s IP Management Board, said, 'We asked the factory to cut their work force in half and ensure distancing between workers both at work and in worker housing. The provincial Steering Committee regularly monitors disease prevention measures in factories.'
Though Da Nang city is still reporting new cases of COVID-19, its experience fighting the disease last August helped the city prepared for the pandemic’s 4th wave. Right after new outbreaks were reported, Da Nang started investigating, tracing, quarantining, soft lockdowns, hard lockdowns, and social distancing. Its creative way of collecting pool test samples and its professionalism in tracing and sampling have contained the epidemic.
Ngo Thi Kim Yen, Director of the Da Nang Department of Health, said, 'When medical staff are collecting samples, a photographer is there to take photos and send them to the administrative section. The health department has mobilized students who participated in previous waves to help collect data. Da Nang has the resources to collect 100,000 samples a day.'
These creative measures have been replicated in other cities and provinces. With such creativity, flexibility and coordination of agencies, businesses and the public,
Vietnam is confident it will once again contain COVID-19.