Addressing the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, PM Pham said the Government places top priority on protecting the public’s health and lives given the complicated evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (standing) chairs Cabinet meeting, Ha Noi, October 2, 2021 - Photo: VGP

Thanks to the involvement of the whole political system, cooperation from people and business community, as well as support from foreign partners and friends, the COVID-19 pandemic has been basically put under control nationwide, even in major hotspots like Ho Chi Min City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Long An where the number of daily infection cases fall sharply over the past days.

Emphasizing that active vigilance must still be in place as the pandemic situation remains complicated, Pham asked relevant ministries and agencies to accelerate import of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine diplomacy to bring vaccines to the country as soon and as fast as possible because vaccines are considered the decisive factor for reopening of the economy.

He took the occasion to share empathy with people for their hardships they suffered due to the imposition of social distancing rules in 23 cities and provinces.

Regarding orientations for the remaining months this year, PM Pham ordered the Ministry of Health to quickly finalize a strategy to safely and flexibly adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He also ordered the Ministry of Planning and Investment to promptly finalize a strategy for economic recovery.

The two strategies must be submitted to competent authorities for approval in October, Pham said.

He urged ministries, agencies and localities to drastically implement the Government’s Resolution No. 63/NQ-CP on major tasks and solutions to accelerate growth, disbursement of public investment capital, and exports, and Resolution No. 105/NQ-CP on support policies for enterprises, cooperatives, and household businesses.

All localities must comply with competent authorities’ instructions on circulation of goods and discuss with enterprises, cooperatives and household businesses on how to ensure safe production.

Immediate measures must be put in place to restore operations of industrial parks, economic zones, high-tech parks and processing zones to help enterprises retain orders and maintain supply chains, Pham said.

He asked the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to coordinate with relevant agencies to monitor people’s life in order to provide timely and effective support for them.

Viet Nam’s economy only expanded 1.42 percent over the recent nine months of 2021 due to impacts of the COVID-19, said Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at the meeting.

The minister, however, emphasized that 70 percent of enterprises operating in processing and manufacturing sector are optimistic about their operation in the rest of the year. 

As many as 18.1 million laborers affected by COVID-19 have received total financial support of VND14,900 billion, according to Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung.