Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has ordered the Government’s special working group based in Ho Chi Minh City to coordinate with authorities of eight southern provinces in deploying comprehensive measures to prevent COVID-19 importation. 

These aforesaid localities are Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Kien Giang, An Giang, and Hau Giang.

The Government chief also urged the working group to work closely with Binh Phuoc, Lam Dong and Binh Thuan provinces to make sure that the COVID-19 pandemic would not spread to other localities in the Central Highlands and South Central regions.

The working group was set up on July 21 to assist southern cities and provinces in dealing with emerging issues in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is headed by Deputy Minister of National Defense Vo Minh Luong and put under direct guidance of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

For cities and provinces currently undergoing social distancing order, local authorities must exert highest efforts to track down and separate infected cases from the community as soon as possible while providing support (including finance and food) to residents in need.

Viet Nam is struggling with the fourth COVID-19 wave with 279,681 locally-transmitted cases confirmed since April 27, 2021, accounting for nearly 99 percent of the national patient tally.

The national tally includes 104,203 patients recovered cases and 6,141 deaths, the Ministry of Health said this evening./.