The pandemic has appeared in 48 companies and enterprises
Binh Duong appeared the first community positive case of Covid-19 on January 31, 2021. Accumulated to July 18, 2021, Binh Duong had 2,650 cases in the community. Since the 4th pandemic wave (from May 27, 2021), the province recorded 2,644 community cases in all districts, towns and cities in the province (including 48 companies inside and outside the industrial parks with more than 1,000 cases) and 08 deaths from Covid-19, traced 12,833 F1 cases, 33,723 F2 cases, and tested 67,298 samples (about 160,000 people).
However, from June 14, 2021 up to now, there have been positive cases at many companies interspersed with boarding houses crowded with workers. These cases were detected mainly in 46 outbreaks/infection chains originating from the outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City with the virus variant detected in India (Delta variant), in which 04 outbreaks have been controlled. Of the 42 outbreaks that are currently not under control, there are 20 outbreaks in the province, 10 secondary outbreaks originating from outbreaks in Ho Chi Minh City and 12 outbreaks of unknown source through rapid testing at medical facilities.
Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong - Director of the Department of Health said, Binh Duong is a locality adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring localities, with a large number of workers and employees working in industrial parks, so potential risk of pandemic outbreaks is great. Although the Provincial People's Committee has drastically implemented measures for pandemic control, the number of cases is still increasing rapidly due to the uncontrolled source of infection from Ho Chi Minh City, and there has been an infection from the boarding houses into the company and vice versa. The recently detected positive cases carry the Delta variant which has a fast spread rate, a short transmission cycle (about 2-3 days), so it is very difficult if the positive case is detected late. More cases have been detected in health facilities through rapid testing, thus, it can be confirmed that the source of the pandemic is already present much in the community.
Graph of pandemic developments in the last 12 days
Through the statistics of daily Covid-19 cases, Dr. Nguyen Hong Chuong said that the cycle to double the number of new Covid-19 cases per day is about 7 to 8 days. For example, on July 11, 2021, 195 cases were recorded, by July 17, 2021, there were 405 cases.
It is forecasted that the number of new cases will continue to increase in the next 10 days when the Health branch increases sampling for large-scale testing. Therefore, Binh Duong province needs to synchronize health solutions and drastically implement social distancing to catch up with the increasing speed of the pandemic and control the situation. In the next 4 weeks, each week, 06 new outbreaks appear in the community (unit is a quarter/hamlet), 07 companies/enterprises have new cases. Using the assumption of the average F1 forecast model and the level of compliance with the distancing according to Directive 16, it is forecast that the number of infection cases by the end of July 25, 2021 will be less than 40 cases/day.
Thus, the application of Directive 16 throughout the province and restricting people returning from Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai is necessary, which will help tracing more effectively, reducing the number of F1 subjects, effectively contributing to cutting off the source of infection, separating F0 from the community, thoroughly quelling outbreaks, protecting people's health and lives.
People and enterprises together join hands and unite
On July 17, 2021, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Document no. 969 on social distancing under Directive 16 for 19 Southern provinces and cities, including Binh Duong. According to experts, social distancing used to be a successful solution in 2020. Therefore, in the coming time, we must strictly observe social distancing to control the pandemic in a short time.
Over the past time, Binh Duong has focused all resources to implement drastic measures to control the pandemic, however, the pandemic has not yet subsided. Therefore, the application of Directive 16 in the whole province under the direction of the Prime Minister is the most urgent at this time.
Binh Duong has proactively and flexibly developed plans to both prevent and control the pandemic, and ensure the production of enterprises and people's lives during social distancing. Accordingly, the province directs the Provincial Industrial Zones Authority and the district-level People's Committee to be proactive, drastic and close in directing, guiding, inspecting, supervising and only allowing production and business activities for establishments that meet the requirements of regulations on pandemic prevention and control, especially must ensure the production plan "03 on the spot" or implement the plan "01 road, 02 locations"; promptly and appropriately and effectively respond to the situation where positive cases appear in each enterprise, not be passive, leading to the spread of the pandemic and loss of control.
The Department of Industry and Trade coordinates with units and localities to connect and circulate goods between provinces and cities in order to ensure the supply of essential consumer goods and stabilize prices of commodities; promptly detect and strictly handle cases of taking advantage of the pandemic situation to violate legal regulations; not allow the situation of hoarding, increasing prices, causing market instability, etc. during this time. Supermarkets arrange mobile vending carts and price-stabilizing points of sale to serve the essential needs of the people, but must comply with regulations on pandemic prevention and control.
Supermarkets ensure the supply of essential goods to serve people in all pandemic situations
For those affected by the pandemic and the time of social distancing, the province also requests the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs to preside over and coordinate with the Department of Finance, the district-level People's Committee and relevant units actively implement to ensure social security, deploy timely and effective implementation of the right subjects according to Resolution no. 68/NQ-CP, Decision no. 23/2021/QD-TTg and Decision no. 09/2021/QD-UBND dated July 16, 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee.
Accordingly, supporting 1.5 million VND/person/time (only applied once) for employees without labor contracts and some other subjects impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in Binh Duong province according to the provisions of Resolution no. 68/NQ-CP dated July 01, 2021 of the Government. Specifically: Street vendors; retail traders on the roadside with no fixed point; garbage and scrap collectors; porters; people transporting goods by means of two-wheeled motorbikes and other vehicles weighing 500 kgs or less; two-wheeled passenger motorcyclists; mobile lottery ticket sellers; freelance manual workers in the field of construction; people self-employing or working at household enterprises in the fields of accommodation, catering, tourism, health care (including security); people doing jobs in a number of fields and industries must temporarily suspend operations under the direction of the Provincial People's Committee; other subjects must temporarily suspend their work at the request of competent state agencies to prevent and control the Covid-19 pandemic.
Supporting lottery ticket sellers 1.5 million VND/person
With all drastic and synchronous solutions deployed by Binh Duong in the next 14 days, we believe that Binh Duong will soon quell the pandemic, bringing normal life to all people. To achieve this goal, all the people should understand, share and join the government in pandemic prevention and control. The whole country is moving towards the frontline. All people show their gratitude to the medical staff, doctors and frontline forces against the pandemic by strictly following the pandemic prevention and control regulations as Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam said: "If all Vietnamese people are united and determined, we will definitely repel this pandemic, so that the country can soon return to a new normal life."
Reported by Mai Xuan - Translated by Nguyen Trang