 People scan QR code for COVID-19 prevention and control. (Illustrative photo) |
Adapting to new normal as soon as possible
The government issued a resolution on Monday on safe and flexible adaptation to, and effective containment of COVID-19, which makes the priority tasks of protecting human health and lives, restoring and developing the economy, ensuring social security and order, and adapting the whole country to the new normal as soon as possible, hopefully within this year.
Safe and flexible measures to effectively contain the pandemic must be carried out promptly in a way that balances health considerations and economic goals.
The government has set four pandemic risk levels: low risk (new normal), moderate risk, high risk, and very high risk. The People’s Committees of provinces and cities will set the pandemic level within their management area. Business activities, including road, railway, inland waterway, and maritime transportation, are allowed to operate, depending on the pandemic level.
Transportation within and between provinces is allowed at all four pandemic levels, but must observe all pandemic preventive measures required by Ministry of Transport regulations.
Trade, services, production facilities, businesses, cooperatives, household traders, and construction sites can operate at all four pandemic levels but are responsible for pandemic prevention and control.
The resolution says that shopping centers, supermarkets, markets, restaurants, and food shops are also allowed to open at all pandemic levels, but those in very high-risk areas should limit their activities.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a government meeting on October 2: “Localities, based on regulations and their current situation, may consider reopening, but must wisely manage the pandemic, production, and travel. Areas which still have COVID-19 patients must flexibly apply health regulations.”
Vietnam must not miss a beat of global recovery
During the 4th plenum of the 13th Party Central Committee on October 4-6, the Committee agreed on pandemic containment in sync with production and trade recovery and development, and built feasible socio-economic, finance, state budget, and public investment plans for 2022. The plenum underscored the need to adjust financial and monetary policies to generate resources for the macro-economy; recover production, goods distribution, and the labor market in areas under protracted social distancing; boost exports and domestic consumption; and encourage public and private investment.
Investment and production obstacles need to be resolved, and sectors and businesses hunt by the pandemic, such as trade, services, aviation, and tourism must be restructured to adapt to the new normal and accumulate resources for next year’s recovery.
The Party Central Committee said we should not let the economy miss a beat during the global economic recovery and restructuring of production and supply chains.
The Vietnam Tourism Association has launched a program to reboot the post-pandemic domestic tourism market. Airlines have reopened domestic flights since October 10.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, said: “We have an opportunity to make full use of the domestic tourism market until the international market reopens. Local tourism businesses can organize tours to explore the sea and islands, agricultural activities, and the local community.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges, but Vietnamese people and businesses can turn challenges into opportunities to rise.