According to the Directive, over the past few years, the Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control activities of all levels, sectors and localities have been actively implemented and achieved initial results, which is highly appreciated by the people and the international community.

However, the epidemic continues to be complicated, occurring in 105 countries with 114,000 people infected and showing no signs of stopping, in the last 10 days alone, the number of infected people has increased rapidly, accounting for 25% of the previous total number of people infected. There are also many large outbreaks with the number of infected people and the number of deaths increasing rapidly.

In our country, after 22 days without new cases, in the past 4 days, an additional 18 people have been detected (the total number of infections is now more than 2 times higher than the previous one), of which 15 people entered from countries with trade and a large number of people travelling to our country. Vietnam is at high risk of spreading the disease.

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Strict control of infection sources

Facing new happenings of the epidemic, in order to minimize the spread, be ready and proactively prevent and respond to the epidemic on a large scale, to best protect the health and lives of the people. The Prime Minister instructs the ministries, branches and localities to continue to strictly and drastically follow the directions of the Secretariat of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Official Dispatch No. 79-CV/TW of January 30, 2020, the Official Telegraph of The Secretariat Standing Committee of the Communist Party on March 7, 2020, Directive No. 05/CT-TTg, 06/CT-TTg, 10/CT-TTg, 11/CT-TTg and Official Dispatch No. 121/CD -TTg, 156/CD-TTg and guiding documents of the Prime Minister; Be best prepared and ready for any situation; continue to thoroughly grasp the spirit of "fighting against the epidemics like an enemy", ready to sacrifice economic benefits to best protect the health and life of the people.

The Prime Minister requested ministries, ministerial-level agencies, People's Committees of provinces and central cities according to their functions and tasks to focus on directing: Proactively and drasticly prevent, quickly detect and strictly control sources of infection (both domestic and from abroad); organize isolation or supervision of people who contacted patients in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Health; review the list of people who entered the country in the past 14 days but were not subject to concentrated isolation, timely detect the sources of infection.

Besides, strictly control the people on entries. Specifically, strengthen the control of people arriving through air, land and maritime border gates; pay attention to control of entry across the Southwest border; suspend unilateral visa exemption and validity of visa exemption papers granted to Vietnamese residing overseas and foreigners who are spouses, children of Vietnamese people in Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, England, France, Germany and Spain.

Make mandatory medical declarations for all passengers entering Vietnam according to regulations, manage information strictly and efficiently and make early detections to isolate cases coming from or going through the epidemic areas; minimize the number of flights from Vietnam to the epidemic areas and vice versa (including foreign airlines).

Strictly manage and ensure safety for tourism activities; coordinate with the related ministries in inspecting, detecting and promptly handling risks of infection from foreign countries via tourist routes; postpone of delegations going abroad for business trips; special cases must be permitted by the Prime Minister; warn people not to go abroad, especially to the epidemic areas.

Plans for isolation on a large scale must always be available

The Prime Minister also requested to strictly implement the isolation and get ready for the large-scale isolation plan. Carry out appropriate isolation measures for all cases of entries coming from or through epidemic areas at isolation establishments; refine and apply appropriate epidemic prevention and control measures for each type of cases in concentrated isolation areas, preventing cross-contamination. The Ministry of Health shall coordinate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in promptly announcing the list of affected countries and territories to apply concentrated isolation measures to people who enter Vietnam from epidemic regions.

Take good care of health, ensure living conditions, not infect the personnel, the employees and armed forces working in concentrated isolation areas; People's Committees of provinces and cities shall organize zoning, isolation and disinfection immediately for areas with infected people; strictly control people going in and out of quarantined areas.

The Ministries of: Defense, Public Security, Health, Culture, Sports and Tourism, Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, People's Committees of provinces and cities shall accelerate the preparation of facilities and human resources for isolation; review and update large-scale isolation measures and plans; make plan to mobilize hotels, accommodation establishments, etc. as concentrated isolation areas.

The Ministry of Science and Technology shall chair and coordinate with the Ministry of Health to focus on directing and researching prevention and treatment regimens and vaccines against the Covid-19 disease; soon put the test kit into use. The Ministry of Health shall review the availability of human resources, means and medical supplies to tackle the situation in case of a widespread epidemic.

Continue to provide timely, complete, public and transparent information about the developments of the epidemic in Vietnam, the cases of concentrated isolation or medical supervision and health monitoring in the community as regulated; publish selective articles for social stability.

Strictly handle cases of uploading misinformation, including handling under criminal law, causing public confusion, social instability and acts of hoarding or raising goods prices, causing market instability in accordance with the law. The Ministry of Justice proposes strict handling measures with sufficient deterrence; coordinate with the Ministry of Health in proposing handling of violations of medical declarations and non-observance of isolation.

The heads of agencies, organizations and enterprises should be proactive and focus on directing the epidemic prevention and control as a key task; strictly handle organizations and individuals that do not seriously implement their responsibilities and tasks in the disease prevention and control activities. Restrict the organization of meetings, events and crowded activities; strengthen the application of information technology in direction, administration, studying, electronic declaration and disease control; guide and encourage people to increase the use of online public services.

The executive committees and local authorities, especially in wards, communes, villages, residential areas, etc. focus on reviewing the fastest detection of suspected cases to take appropriate measures; mobilize people not to participate in activities requiring gatherings, promote activities that improve health and fitness.

According to the assigned functions and tasks, the ministries, branches, localities, state-owned companies and corporations shall strictly ensure the supplies of goods and necessities to meet the consumption needs of people strictly directed by the Prime Minister in Document No. 1771/VPCP-KTTH of March 7, 2020.

The Prime Minister also asked the Vietnam Fatherland Front and organizations and unions to coordinate with the authorities at all levels, especially the local administrations in mobilizing people to comply with disease prevention measures; seriously implement isolation activities and medical supervision, timely detect suspected cases; mobilize the entire population to raise awareness and enhance self-protection activities.

Together with the drastic epidemic prevention and control, the Prime Minister requested the ministries, branches and localities to actively bring out the epidemic prevention solutions, at the same time focus on drastically implementing specific and effective solutions to promptly address the difficulties for production and business sectors, ensuring social security according to the Directive No. 11/CT-TTg of March 4, 2020 by the Prime Minister./.