Preventing and controlling epidemics in industrial zones: Be proactive and flexible to avoid breaking the production chain

The nature of the COVID-19 epidemic has changed significantly with a downward trend in cases in the community but an increase in the number of cases in crowded areas, including factories in industrial parks.

Urgently control dangerous outbreaks

On January 5, the first case of COVID-19 infection inMinh Anh - Kim Lien Garment Joint Stock Company(Bac Vinh Industrial Park) was discovered. And by the evening of January 12, the number of infections in this company was 104. The total number of F1 cases in the factory was 499 people. It is known that the garment company has 3,200 workers. The vast majority of cases are concentrated in 1 workshop. The number of COVID-19 cases is in 7 different localities, concentrated mainly in Vinh city (36 cases have permanent residence and many other cases are from other districts but temporarily residing in the area).

Taking samples for testing for workers at factories and industrial parks. Photo: TC

Through investigation and tracing, the "outbreak" at Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Company is related to the "outbreak" at Nghe An College of Economics and Technology No. 1 (Vinh City). The child of an F0 case at the garment company is a student at this school. The outbreak at the vocational school currently has 14 cases and 58 F1 cases are being quarantined at the school's dormitory.

Realizing that the epidemic situation at Minh Anh Garment Company was extremely complicated, with many risks of the epidemic spreading widely in the factory as well as spreading to the community, immediately after detecting the first cases of infection, Nghe An Department of Health, Nghe An Provincial Center for Disease Control, Southeast Economic Zone Management Board and Vinh City People's Committee promptly organized work with the company, implementing anti-epidemic solutions.

Accordingly, the relevant authorities and functional units have directed the company to coordinate well with the local steering committees to conduct investigations, trace, and identify F1 and F2 cases for isolation and management. The company is required to temporarily suspend operations for 3 days to implement specialized measures such as spraying disinfectants; reviewing the anti-epidemic plan; rearranging and reorganizing the stages of picking up and dropping off workers, production stages, canteen areas, and toilets to ensure anti-epidemic conditions and requirements; organizing periodic rapid testing to promptly screen and isolate F0 cases...

Taking COVID-19 test samples for workers at Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Company. Photo: TC

Dr. Chu Trong Trang - Deputy Director of the Center for Disease Control of Nghe An province clearly stated a number of requirements: The company needs to fully implement solutions to ensure that no workers returning to the factory are F0. The dining area in the factory must be rearranged and disinfected according to regulations. Workers on the production line with patients must absolutely not share the toilet with workers on the production line without patients. In production, separate work shifts should be divided. After each shift, disinfection and cleaning must continue. Food services concentrated in front of the company gate must stop operating. Cars transporting workers to work must be arranged to ensure 5K.

With timely solutions, the COVID-19 "outbreak" at Minh Anh Kim Lien Garment Company (Bac Vinh Industrial Park) has been basically controlled. F0 and F1 cases have been detected, isolated, quarantined and treated promptly. Mr. Tran Quang Lam - Vice Chairman of Vinh City People's Committee said: "Vinh City has 62 F1 cases who are workers at Minh Anh Garment Company. Currently, the City People's Committee has directed wards and communes to closely manage and monitor these cases, to prevent the outbreak and spread to the community."

Proactively prevent and combat disruption of the production chain

The outbreak at Minh Anh Company has been controlled, but at this time, a number of additional cases have been detected in factories and industrial parks in the province. On January 10, through rapid testing at the company, 5 workers of Matrix Company in Bac Vinh Industrial Park were found to be infected with COVID-19. By the morning of January 13, the Nghe An Center for Disease Control announced: There were 4 cases of community COVID-19 infection, all of whom were workers at Viet Glory Dien Truong.

CDC Nghe An, Vinh City and Minh Anh - Kim Lien Garment Joint Stock Company met to discuss anti-epidemic solutions on the afternoon of January 9. Photo: CDC Nghe An

Reality has shown: The number of COVID-19 infections in factories and industrial parks is increasing rapidly. The epidemic situation is complicated... If the epidemic prevention and control work is not carried out well, in the most fundamental way, the number of new infections will continue to appear continuously. The epidemic from the factory will spread to the community and vice versa, the epidemic from the community will penetrate the factory. And especially, during this Tet holiday, when workers from factories and industrial parks return to their hometowns, the risk of COVID-19 spreading is greater than ever.

The development requirement in this period is that enterprises, factories, and industrial parks must focus on doing a good job of preventing and controlling the COVID-19 epidemic for effective production. Associate Professor, Dr. Duong Dinh Chinh - Deputy Commander of the Provincial COVID-19 Prevention and Control Command Center, Director of the Nghe An Department of Health stated: Resolution 128 has created maximum conditions for factories and enterprises to operate and develop. However, factories and enterprises need to be aware of controlling the epidemic in an adaptive and flexible manner but must be safe and effective; ensuring the harmony of the interests of the unit and the community, the long-term health of employees and people.

Minh Anh Garment Joint Stock Company in Bac Vinh Industrial Park conducted rapid Covid-19 tests for all 3,000 staff and workers on the night the FO case was discovered. Photo: Tien Dong

To effectively prevent and combat the COVID-19 pandemic and avoid disruptions in production, factories and enterprises need to implement synchronous solutions. In particular, it is necessary to coordinate with local authorities and functional units to focus on reviewing the unit's epidemic prevention plans and scenarios, avoiding confusion when epidemic situations arise, ensuring adaptation to new situations.

For safe production, factories and businesses themselves need to pay attention to promoting COVID-19 vaccination for staff and workers. Communicate well to staff and workers to avoid panic, consciously comply with epidemic prevention requirements at the unit and the community... When an epidemic occurs at the unit, it is necessary to promptly work with functional agencies and local authorities to effectively prevent and control the epidemic./.