HCMC chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong speaks at a meeting of the city’s committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control this morning - PHOTO: HCMC PRESS CENTER
HCMC - HCMC is taking advantage of the 15-day social distancing period to fight off the Covid-19 pandemic, city chairman Nguyen Thanh Phong said at a meeting of the HCMC committee for Covid-19 infection prevention and control this morning, June 7.
After new Covid-19 cases rose sharply, the municipal government imposed a social distancing order in some areas. After seven days of social distancing, some Covid-19 clusters have been brought under control.
“This is the 25th straight day that the county has reported increases of triple-digit Covid-19 caseloads. The city is currently the fourth biggest Covid-19 hotspot in the country. New Covid-19 cases would be detected at quarantine centers and in the community in the coming days as the city steps up Covid-19 tests,” Phong said.
In this fourth Covid-19 wave, which began in late April, the city has reported nearly 400 Covid-19 cases. According to the city’s leader, the city detected Covid-19 variants from India and the UK, which are stronger and spread quicker.
“We should not ease preventive measures although the number of new cases has decreased. We must take advantage of the 15-day social distancing period to fight off the pandemic,” Phong said.
The city’s leader asked the local health authorities to complete collecting samples from suspected cases for Covid-19 tests eight hours after they are detected.
The city is trying to collect samples from 325,000 workers and 3,000 experts at industrial parks and export processing zones for Covid-19 tests. Up to now, it has only been able to collect samples from 50,000 people.
Therefore, Phong asked the local health authorities to accelerate Covid-19 testing, with priority given to industrial parks and export processing zones.
All religious organizations and places of worship citywide must strictly comply with Covid-19 infection prevention and control regulations. Nguyen Tan Binh, director of the HCMC Department of Health, said 362 Covid-19 cases that have been detected since May 26 are related to the Revival Ekklesia Mission in Go Vap District.
Binh predicted that the country’s Covid-19 outbreak would reach its peak in the next two or three weeks. HCMC’s decision to impose social distancing has contributed to reducing new infections.
However, the city will still be at high risk if the pandemic develops complicatedly in other localities.
As of this afternoon, HCMC reported 386 Covid-19 cases. The city is quarantining more than 21,400 people, including 7,770 people at quarantine centers and over 13,700 others at their homes.
