Both Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang and municipal People's Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh Wednesday afternoon revealed the most important goal for Da Nang. It aimed at ensuring that local people are isolating themselves at all in line with the current direction in efforts to promote the city’s achievements recorded over the past 10 days in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

A scene of Da Nang Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Van Quang (left) and municipal People’s Committee Chairman Le Trung Chinh in an online meeting of the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 prevention and control on Wednesday afternoon. Photo: LE HUNG

Secretary Quang remarked that the city-wide strict stay-at-home order remains in place until September 5 with changes to the regulation coming into force from August 26 aimed at ensuring the supply of food and essential goods for local residents during this period.

Mr Quang asked the taskforce to increase patrols and tighten controls on road users between 5:00 am and 9:00 am, today, August 26, to make sure the changes in eligible employees at work in government agencies and businesses go smoothly in accordance with the government’s guidelines. The taskforce have been given the power to enhance their enforcement of stay-at-home order across the city after 9am today to keep people off the streets for nonessentials and impose stiff penalties on COVID-19 rule violators.   

Authorities at local level were urged to create a proactive plan for securing food supply for residents in their local areas while they are under the stay-at-home order.

The Da Nang Party Chief called on police and military personnel, young men, women, and teachers to actively get involved in helping with distribution of food and essential goods for local residents.

He also called for better supervision and enforcement on food retailers in order to make sure that they are selling their products at a reasonable price and offering their good quality food for all, especially fresh goods.

Municipal People's Committee Chairman directed authorities at local level and relevant units to continue their efforts to follow the government’s guidelines on infection prevention and control in response to COVID-19 in the most effective way.

The health agency was asked to evaluate the city’s results obtained over the past 10 days in the fight against COVID-19 to give advice to the city's leaders to determine the appropriate response to the pandemic in the next phase of COVID-19 fight. Besides, the focus must be on beefing up COVID-19 testing efforts, treating COVID-19 patients and set up more field hospitals for future COVID-19 patients.

Authorities in Hoa Vang District were urged to take action to protect COVID-19 free areas, known as green zones, and promote the expansion of such areas in the locality.

Chairman Chinh said Da Nang police have mobilized 30 containers for freezing food to set up temporary markets to sell foods for local residents, and frozen food will be sold at stable price levels.

Doctor Ton That Thanh, the Director of the municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that 35,360 doses of Moderna vaccine, 7,020 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech and 1,500 the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on August 25 were distributed in Da Nang, bringing the cumulative distribution of vaccines for the city till date to 213,020 doses. A total of 151,286 vaccine doses have been administered in the city, in which, 126,513 people have received their first dose and 24,773 others have got their second shot.

Fines of VND 257.5 million on Wednesday were imposed on 30 people for breaking the city’s COVID-19 rules. In total, close to VND 3.9 billion worth of fines have been levied on 1,071 violators of the city’s COVID-19 restrictions since June 18, according to latest figures released by the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

According to the municipal Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, the taskforce at checkpoints at entry points on Wednesday conducted COVID-19 checks on 5,567 vehicles, during which, requiring 7,040 people to have their body temperature measured and declare their health status, along with conducting rapid tests for 879 people. In addition, 7 vehicles were refused entry into the city.

Reporting by LE HUNG- translating by H.L