Proposed solutions to implement social distancing after April 15

The experts focused on reviewing the group of localities that are forecasted to be at high risk and need to continue applying "social distancing" as prescribed in Directive 16 for a while longer. The remaining two groups will implement "relaxation". In particular, the Group also discussed measures that need to be uniformly applied nationwide (for all three groups) so that the Steering Committee can report to the Prime Minister on April 15.

Accordingly, measures that need to continue to be applied nationwide include: Mandatory mask wearing when leaving home, keeping social distance, banning large gatherings (including religious activities), not operating entertainment services... For events serving the political and socio-economic development purposes of the government, participants must be medically monitored according to separate regulations.

In addition to the general measures, the head of the local government shall, based on the practical situation in the area, prescribe additional measures to ensure the dual goals.

The risk level of each locality changes according to the situation, data is updated daily and depends a lot on the response capacity of each locality, especially the capacity to ensure the implementation of general regulations; the capacity to be ready to trace and isolate when there is an infection; the capacity of the health system to examine patients at home for the elderly, those with underlying diseases, and those at high risk of infection.

Experts especially emphasized the importance of discipline in detecting and strictly handling organizations and individuals who violate regulations under the direction of the Prime Minister and the National Steering Committee, such as not wearing masks and gathering in large crowds. If these basic measures are strictly implemented, the risk of an outbreak will be significantly reduced.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Bui The Duy suggested that localities should soon assign focal points (officers from the Department of Health) to update data and be ready to conduct tracing when cases appear in the area. The Group will connect, guide, and train to form a response network across the country. When the data is updated, provinces and cities can classify the risk level to the district and county scale and increasingly smaller to have more appropriate, flexible, and effective epidemic control measures.

Previously, on the morning of April 13, at the National Steering Committee meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam emphasized that we must be ready for a long-term epidemic situation, so "social distancing" after April 15 needs to take into account factors such as location, target groups, and occupational groups, with the spirit of not being subjective or lax, while at the same time controlling the epidemic while developing production and business, ensuring social security.

At the meeting of the Government Standing Committee with the National Steering Committee on the afternoon of April 13, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the National Steering Committee to complete specific plans on implementing "social distancing" to report to the Prime Minister for decision on April 15.

The expert group organized by the National Steering Committee consists of about 300 volunteers including officials from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Information and Communications, a number of research institutes, universities, businesses, and students from within the country and abroad.

The group was supported by the Ministry of Health and then the Government Office in terms of working and living conditions. The group's contribution to tracing cases was praised by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at a meeting with the National Steering Committee on the afternoon of April 13.

Mr. Nguyen The Trung, member of the Government E-Government Advisory Group of the Government Office, Director of the Digital Vietnamese Knowledge Project, Deputy Head of the Group, said that the Group is very happy and proud to have participated in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

“When receiving the assignments from Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, we were very excited, but when implementing them, we found that they were all very difficult problems. With the problem of forecasting risks by locality, nearly 2 months ago the Deputy Prime Minister jokingly said that we would have to fight a 'long-term resistance war'. If the epidemic is short, the whole country will go to war and then return to plow the fields. But if the epidemic lasts a long time, we will have to "plow and gun" and the localities will have "front lines and rear areas". At that time, we understood, but today we understand it even more, so we are more determined, trying to gather more brothers regardless of day or night to meet the requirements."