Today’s Covid News: Vietnam to impose digital travel permit

Vietnam will impose digital travel permits to people in the time to come, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked authorized agencies.

SOVICO Group's Vietjet Air supports armed forces to join the pandemic fight in the southern region. Photo: Tai Nguyen

The country will soon use an all-in-one app on Covid-19 information (called PcCOVID), in which people with “green” status are subject to travel around, those with “yellow” status will be restricted, and those with “red” status are not allowed to go out.

All personal information and medical declaration related to Covid-19 will be linked with the app and used for anti-pandemic purposes only.

Thus far, nearly 37 million vaccine doses have been administered, including 7.3 million people fully vaccinated.

The National Assembly today [Sept 24] agreed with the government’s proposal on using VND30 trillion (US$1.3 billion) from the Unemployment Insurance to support laborers affected by the months-long pandemic.

The allowance will last until the end of this year.

In sharing the burden with Vietnam in the pandemic fight, US-based California Waste Solutions run by Vietnamese-American David Duong announced to donate Vietnam additional 1,000 respirators worth $3 million.

“We hope that our contributions will join hands with the Government and the health sector of Vietnam to overcome the pandemic, quickly stamp out the virus, gradually reopen the economy, and bring back people to normal,” David Duong said in a meeting with Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Sept 22 (local time) when the leader attended the UN General Assembly’s 76th session in New York.

Earlier, David Duong donated Vietnam 250 respirators worth $750,000.

On Sept 24, Vietnam confirmed 8,537 Covid-19 infections, the lowest number in one month and a half. To date, its total caseload has reached 736,000, including 505,000 people have recovered.

Ho Chi Minh City today saw the lowest number of deaths in the past month, according to Pham Duc Hai from the city committee against Covid-19. He said the death toll was 140 today compared to 340 on August 22.

Currently, the number of infections has reached 358,000, including 183,000 recovered. Of the total active cases, 40,000 are hospitalized in public and private medical facilities and the remaining are treated at home.

The city continues requiring shippers to be tested every three days. It will support the testing until the end of September. After that, ride-hailing companies will cover the cost or share with shippers.

In a related move, today SOVICO Group announced it would assist testing and donate the city one million test kits worth VND200 billion ($8.7 million).

On the same day, the city’s Department of Transport submitted plans to bring laborers back to the city in early October. Since mid-July, it has helped bring about 33,000 people home in 34 cities and provinces nationwide when the city imposed lockdown. This agency also built travel options to be taken from next month.

According to SOVICO’s Deputy General Director Pham Khac Dung, the company has donated thousands of billion dong to the pandemic fight in the south through financing the national vaccine fund, aiding the social welfare programs, providing ambulances, ventilators, and other medical supplies, and transport armed forces to the region.

Coronavirus infections in Vietnam. Source: MoH. Chart: Minh Vu