At the conclusion of the Covid-19 prevention steering committee meeting on the afternoon of April 3, Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung particularly emphasized, only in the past week, the number of Covid-19 cases in Hanoi has nearly doubled compared to the previous three weeks; continuously discovering infection cases in the community.
Regarding the outbreak at Bach Mai Hospital, Mr. Chung stated that he directly asked 13 people in Dong Da district, and 3 people in Hai Ba Trung district, and learned that, in the case of individuals from Hanoi seeking treatment here, mainly family members bring food and water, rarely going to the cafeteria.
Out-of-province cases such as patient 133 from Lai Chau, patient 170 from Ninh Binh, or those from Hanoi’s suburban districts only go to the cafeteria to eat. “This is a characteristic that needs attention; the districts far from the center cannot be complacent,” the Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee said.
The Hanoi leadership also mentioned that they have inquired thoroughly with staff from Truong Sinh Company and learned that when delivering boiled water, mild patients directly take the water; severe patients have their family members come to get it, and now, through testing, results will be fully available in a day or two for specifics.
“From these factors, all staff involved in the prevention tasks must integrate this information to note that those who eat in the area or come into contact with employees of Truong Sinh Company and Viet A Company will have a higher risk of infection”.
Based on this situation, the Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee requires all units in districts, towns, and communes to immediately update the directives from the Central Government and the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee, implement them; enhance communication on preventive awareness among all residents, regularly wash hands with soap and disinfectant; mandatory mask-wearing; when going outside, maintain a distance of 2m… All cases with home isolation orders must be strictly enforced.
“Elderly people and those without urgent matters should try not to go out for the next two weeks. Tomorrow the city will intensify inspections. Those who do not meet the criteria to go outside will be fined. The penalties are already in place. All amusement parks must close… Because if even 10% of the population remains on the streets, it will undermine all measures”, the Chairman of Hanoi emphasized.
Mr. Chung also reminded districts and towns to regularly care for social welfare, especially focusing on those with meritorious services, the poor, families with policies, and the disabled… Departments, sectors, and localities need to ensure that the people and businesses are at the center of service, enhancing online public service implementation to ensure that all concerns of the people and businesses are answered promptly, preventing any hotspots.
“At this time, cutting off electricity, water, and telecommunications services is prohibited, and it must ensure sufficient services and quality to serve the people”, the Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee clarified.
It is requested that districts, towns, and cities continue to focus on clarifying cases related to Bach Mai Hospital. Additionally, attention should be paid to reviewing cases of taxi drivers, ride-hailing drivers, and motorbike taxi drivers serving at the hospital gate.
Currently, the city has decided to deploy sampling tents for testing, requesting that these tents be set up in spacious areas, ensuring people line up 2m apart and wear masks. All cases that test positive on rapid tests are advised to be transferred to the nearest hospital for testing; if they test positive again, they will be sent to Central Tropical Hospital 2; if negative, they are required to isolate at home.
Sharing with the leaders and medical staff of Bach Mai Hospital, the City Chairman requested the hospital leaders to ensure good morale for staff to confidently perform medical examinations and treatments and to feel secure in isolation.
The Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee assigned the Hanoi CDC to urgently organize verification and epidemiological investigation of the movements and contacts of employees from Truong Sinh and Viet A companies, publishing the complete movements of these cases. The Chairman of Hanoi stated that, through initial findings, 18 out of 22 of these cases were continuously working and living in the hospital, but specific verification is needed for clarity.
Mr. Chung reminded districts, towns, and cities to never be complacent in the COVID-19 prevention efforts because: “If by April 15 the outbreak decreases, we can be at ease; if not, it will continue to be very complicated”.
