Letting the 13 tier-1 vendors resume production would ensure the supply of parts required for the South Korean company’s factories in her province and Thai Nguyen, its people’s committee chairwoman, Nguyen Huong Giang, said on Thursday.

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam voiced support for the proposal, saying companies meeting all safety requirements for containing the contagion could resume operations, especially those that are part of supply chains for multinationals like Samsung.

As of Friday morning Bac Giang had the highest number of Covid cases in the latest wave, 683, followed by Bac Ninh with 378.

In Bac Ninh, five workers at Samsung and Canon factories have been diagnosed with the disease. The province has been trying to keep its industrial parks open after isolating infected areas.

It has stopped all transportation but allows workers, experts and goods to be ferried to support businesses.

Bac Giang has however shut down four industrial parks, including those that house production facilities of Taiwanese giant Foxconn, an Apple supplier.