Nghe An: Strengthening Covid-19 prevention and control in industrial parks

SYSTEMATIC, EFFICIENT

BUT STILL MANY HOLES

Masan MB Company Limited is one of the large enterprises in Nam Cam Industrial Park, with a scale of 600 officers and employees. Mr. Tran Manh Cuong - Director of the company said: "In the face of the Covid-19 epidemic, very early, the company established a Steering Committee for epidemic prevention and control, a safety team, and a Covid-19 prevention and control team to direct and implement activities. The company has very strict requirements inCovid-19 preventionIf any officer or employee does not respond or comply, the highest form of discipline is dismissal.

Accordingly, at the entrance, the company has set up a checkpoint to prevent and combat the Covid-19 epidemic. People entering the company are required to make a specific medical declaration, have their temperature measured, disinfect their hands and are required to wear masks properly. If a person has a body temperature higher than 37 degrees, they are required to stand separately in a cool place, then continue to be checked with a body temperature meter, mercury thermometer and have appropriate response measures such as taking them to the doctor... All vehicles entering the company, including shuttle buses for employees, are sprayed with chemicals to disinfect and sterilize the surface. For vehicles coming from epidemic areas, the entire cockpit is disinfected, the driver must wear anti-epidemic clothing and stay in the car the entire time at the factory...".

Production facilities set up partitions to keep workers apart. Photo: Thanh Chung

Mr. Van Minh Duc - Safety SupervisorMasan MB Companyadded: “Due to the nature of the company, all employees are local people, living in the surrounding area, so the company does not build dormitories; therefore, the requirement for health declaration for employees is also strictly implemented. Twice a week, employees must make mandatory online health declarations. However, those who have work or have traveled to epidemic areas are required to stay at home and self-isolate for 14-21 days. Those who have symptoms of headache and fatigue are required to go for examination and treatment, and only return to work when their health has recovered. F2 cases are required to be isolated at home according to regulations, the company will trace F3, measure body temperature, disinfect and monitor the health of F2.

Inside the office and production area, Covid-19 propaganda signs and disinfectant sprays are placed in many places. Everyone is required to wear a mask during work.

In the company's dining room, each table used to seat 8 people, but now it is designed with partitions and arranged into 4 separate seats. Employees are also arranged to eat at different times to avoid crowds. Masan MB has also designed a system of rooms for suspected Covid-19 cases, evacuation rooms, isolation areas, and routes for officers and employees in epidemic situations...

Dining tables are also partitioned. Workers are also divided into different shifts during meal times. Photo: Thanh Chung

Masan MB's plan and strategy to fight Covid-19 is methodical and elaborate, but in reality, there are still many serious loopholes that need to be addressed.

Dr. Nguyen Huu Le - Deputy Director of the Department of Health in a recent inspection stated: “The company's plan and strategy have not followed the instructions of the National Steering Committee for Epidemic Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Health and Nghe An province. Epidemic prevention work at the factory has not been implemented well. Health declaration for workers twice a week is not guaranteed, it needs to be done daily, workers can declare online at home before going to work. The use of body temperature measuring devices must be done properly; when detecting someone with a fever or epidemiological factors, it is necessary to immediately contact the local Steering Committee for Epidemic Prevention and Control to have means and plans to ensure epidemic safety, do not arbitrarily take them to the clinic. The company needs to review the means and facilities of the on-site quarantine area; must regularly contact the district-level Steering Committee for Epidemic Prevention and Control for guidance, promptly report arising cases; coordinate to provide localities with a list of workers with the locality. only, communication method to be able to respond when there is a situation...”.

AFTER TRAINING

IS INSPECTION, PUNISHMENT

Currently,Covid-19 situationIn Vietnam, the situation is very complicated with a new variant, with a high level of infection, spreading quickly in the community and in production and business establishments, industrial parks. In particular, many cases of Covid-19 have been detected in industrial parks such as Bac Giang (2,424), Bac Ninh (876), Hai Duong (48)...

Ensuring food safety in collective kitchens in industrial parks amid the threat of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Thanh Chung

Nghe An currently has 8 industrial parks with investment projects, including: Bac Vinh Industrial Park, Nam Cam Industrial Park, VSIP Nghe An Industrial Park, WHA Nghe An Industrial Park, Hoang Mai Industrial Park, Nghia Dan Industrial Park, Dong Hoi Industrial Park, Tho Loc Industrial Park. Currently, Dong Nam Economic Zone and Nghe An Industrial Parks have 128 projects in operation, creating jobs for 28,226 workers... Information from Dong Nam Economic Zone Management Board: To prevent and combat the Covid-19 epidemic in factories, enterprises, and industrial parks, the Management Board has promptly implemented directive documents from all levels, sectors, and enterprises inSoutheast Economic Zone and Industrial Parks of Nghe An Province; establish a Steering Committee for epidemic prevention and control; assign focal officers in charge of Covid-19 epidemic prevention and control and a permanent phone number to receive information from businesses; advise the People's Committees of provinces, districts, cities and towns to direct units to strictly implement epidemic prevention and control tasks according to their functions and tasks.

Trade unions give gifts to workers at the boarding house. Photo: NA Labor Union

Factories, enterprises, and industrial parks in the province have also been thoroughly informed of the guidelines for epidemic prevention and control; strictly implementing the "5K" requirements of the Ministry of Health; organizing the review and making a list of cases of workers returning from localities with recorded Covid-19 infections in the community; minimizing work plans to localities with recorded Covid-19 infections nationwide when not really necessary; temporarily suspending recruitment and transferring workers from localities with recorded Covid-19 infections; not allowing illegal immigrants to reside or work in enterprises...

Mr. Le Tien Tri - Head of the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board said: "Currently, the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board is urging businesses to immediately implement self-assessment reports on the risk of Covid-19 infection at the workplace and dormitory; collect information on employees working at the business to ensure Covid-19 prevention and control; and commit to implementing Covid-19 prevention and control".

Covid-19 prevention training for businesses and industrial parks. Photo: Thanh Chung

To better ensure epidemic prevention activities, recently, Nghe An Department of Health has coordinated with the Management Board of Southeast Economic Zone, Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs, Provincial Labor Federation, Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of localities to organize many inspection teams and provide guidance on Covid-19 prevention and control at enterprises and industrial parks. In addition, on June 2, the Department of Health and the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone coordinated to organize a training course on Covid-19 prevention and control for businesses, factories, and industrial parks, thereby implementing Decision No. 2194/QD-BCDQG on promulgating "Guidelines for prevention, control and assessment of the risk of Covid-19 infection at workplaces and dormitories for workers; guidance on screening tests for workers; ensuring food safety at production and business establishments, industrial parks with collective kitchens; Application of information technology in monitoring and tracing F0, F1, F2; Using QR Code; guidance on arranging isolation areas, dividing labor, controlling air contamination in Covid-19 prevention and control...

According to the Department of Health, the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone and localities with industrial parks: Immediately after this training course, the authorities and localities will organize inspections and strictly punish violations of regulations on Covid-19 prevention and control; clearly inform about violations on mass media.