Hanoi orders Covid-19 preventive measures be strictly enforced

All eateries in Hanoi must strictly comply with regulations on Covid-19 prevention or otherwise face closure, and all local residents should remain on high alert, said Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Ngo Van Quy.

Mr. Quy made the statement at a meeting of the city’s Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control on August 19 in the context of rising locally-transmitted cases in the city and nationwide.

Mr. Quy, who now heads the city Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control, ordered leaders of districts, communes and wards across the city to mobilize people to enhance preventive measures, particularly wear of face masks in public.

Local residents are advised not to gather in groups of more than 30 people in public places and they should visit the health facilities if having such symptoms as high fever and difficulty in breathing.

Hundreds ignore social distancing, flock to Hanoi temple

Disregarding preventive guide to avoiding crowds, hundreds of devout Hanoi residents visited the Tay Ho Temple (Phu Tay Ho) on Wednesday, the first day of the sevent luanr month - popularly believed to be the Ghost Month - to worship the Mother Goddess.

The management board of the Tay Ho Temple in Tay Ho district, a popular place of worship, used loud speakers to call on worshipers to disperse and avoid the risk of Covid-19 infection.

Chairman of the People's Committee of Tay Ho district Do Anh Tuan said the district ordered the temple to temporarily close later to disperse the crowds. In the time ahead, if the temple keeps admitting goers, it will face closure.

An overview of the meeting. Photo: Kinhtedothi.vn

At the meeting, Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Health Hoang Duc Hanh said the city was home to many large and central-level hospitals. A large number of people coming from other provinces for medical examination and treatment has increased the risk of infection.

He also said that people’s compliance with disease prevention measures at present is not as good as in the previous period, especially at restaurants.

As a result, the risk of infection from hospitals and restaurants in the coming days is significantly high.

Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Dao Duc Toan agreed, saying some people had become complacent and ignored prevention measures.

Inspections by the Hanoi CDC found mask-wearing and disinfecting measures in offices had not been conducted thoroughly. Some offices has not devised a response plan if an infection is detected in the workplace.

Mr. Toan said localities should be more resolute in encouraging people not to go out unless it is really necessary and those who do not wear masks in public places must be strictly punished.

The whole community will suffer if just a few people fail to comply with preventive measures. The success of pandemic prevention depends largely on people’s awareness, Mr. Toan stressed.

Concluding the meeting, Vice Chairman Ngo Van Quy said Covid-19 was still under control in the city. However, prevention work in hospitals should be enhanced to avoid cross-infection.

Mr. Quy asked districts and agencies to continue to observe rules on Covid-19 prevention.

Hospitals in Hanoi are asked to tighten monitoring and ensure safety for medical staff. Those failing to comply with the anti-pandemic measures will be closed, said the municipal vice chairman.

Around 100,090 people had returned to Hanoi from Danang, the epicenter of the pandemic, since July 15, according to the municipal Steering Committee on Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Since August 8, health authorities have taken samples of the people returning between July 15 and 29. 50,602 samples have been collected and sent to the testing units under the Ministry of Health by using RT-PCR method, of them 28,478 have come negative.

The city is striving to quickly complete RT-PCT testing for all people who visited Danang and returned to Hanoi from July 15-29 on August 20-21.