Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest city, has set four main missions, focusing on anti-pandemic scenarios, social welfare programs, economic recovery plans, and investment projects.

Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai. Photo: Viet Dung/ SGGP

The committee, led by newly-appointed Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai, will build concrete plans for the September 15-December 31, 2021 period and from 2022 onwards.

Being the outbreak epicenter with average of 4,000 Covid-19 infections per day, Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has maintained restrictions for three months, forcing the closure of businesses, putting brakes on economic activities, and bringing production to a standstill.

So far, the city has about 130,000 active cases, including more than 90,000 treated at home, and the remaining receives treatment in medical facilities.

The high number of infections has put the city’s health system reaches capacity and coping with the pandemic remains its top priority.

Police check travel permit in Hanoi on September 4. Photo: Khanh Huy/ The Hanoi Times

Hanoi

The capital city began tightening restrictions in the “red zone” (high risk zone) from today until September 21 to detect infections and prevent transmission to lower risk zones.

At the same time, it relaxes restrictions in the “green zone” (safe zone) to facilitate production, bringing people back to new normal to serve the recovery plans.

For that reason, police-controlled checkpoints are set up citywide to serve the mission.

Secretary of the municipal Party Committee Dinh Tien Dung said tightening control over safety measures is the best way to enable the city to contain the virus and the classification of geographic zones helps it mitigate financial damage caused by prolonged social distancing and ease people’s troubles.

Testing is another measure that Hanoi takes to soon detect infections in the community in the next two weeks.

Given different levels of restrictions in different parts of the city, goods supply becomes a matter of concern. Accordingly, people in the “red zone” (high risk) are allowed to shop themselves by coupons twice a week and through online orders.

Vietnam's coronavirus infections. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu

Donation

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany will donate Vietnam 2.5 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in addition to a batch of medical equipment, making it the largest EU donor of Covid relief to Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Japan has announced the 5th vaccine donation to Vietnam in a batch of 440,000 doses to three countries namely Vietnam, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The doses is scheduled to arrive in Vietnam on September 9.

So far, Vietnam has received 29 million doses, including more than 19 million AstraZeneca doses, more than three million Pfizer doses, more than five million Moderna, 2.5 million Sinopharm, and 12,000 Sputnik V doses.

So far, more than 21 million vaccine doses administered, including 3 million fully inoculated.

On September 4, Vietnam confirmed 9,521 Covid-19 infections on September 4, the first day of four-digit daily cases after two weeks of five-digit numbers every day. On the same day, it reported 347 deaths, mostly in HCMC.