Difficulties in the epidemic epicenter of Nghe An border district

Poor village in trouble

Next to the late season gourd trellis, Mrs. Moong Thi Phan in the villageLa Ngan, Chieu Luu commune is picking the last young shoots, the old leaves are also picked by her to put in the bag. These are all the ingredients for dinner for nearly 10 people in her family. Mrs. Moong Thi Phan's family has 2 sons, a daughter-in-law in confinement and 5 grandchildren. Her husband, Mr. Moong Van Lien, has been mentally ill for nearly 20 years. Her two sons are not normal like everyone else.

Mrs. Moong Thi Phan prepares lunch for her family. Photo: Thanh Cuong

GrandCovid-19 epidemicThe outbreak has led to the poor village of La Ngan being locked down, with people restricting their movements to prevent and fight the epidemic. Having to sit still and not be able to go to the fields, Mrs. Phan's family is seriously short of food. "We haven't been able to go to the forest these past few days, so we can only look for food around the house like wild eggplant, squash leaves, etc. The rice distributed yesterday is probably enough for another 2 days" - not fluent in Mandarin, Mrs. Phan asked Ms. Vi Thi Loan, Secretary of the La Ngan village Party Cell, to translate for her.

A few houses away from Mrs. Mong Thi Phan's house, Mr. Ven Van Xan, his wife and four grandchildren were sitting in front of the door waiting to get tested. He and his wife and grandchildren had just returned from the fields. Mr. Xan also has two sons. Both of them work for hire in the South, leaving their four grandchildren to their grandparents to take care of. When the grandchildren were on summer vacation, he took them to stay in the fields. On the day of their return, the grandparents were shocked to see a blockade at the beginning of the village. Strangers dressed in blue uniforms walked in groups. Police and militia appeared more frequently. He became even more worried when he received a notice that he had to stay at home and not go anywhere to prevent and fight the epidemic. "We cannot go to the fields, we cannot bring any food or supplies back, our children and grandchildren do not know what to eat in the next few days" - Mr. Xan said.

Photo: Thanh Cuong

According to Ms. Vi Thi Loan - Secretary of the village Party Cell, La Ngan has 148 households, 756 people, 100% of whom are Khmu people. Up to 80% of the households in the village are poor and near-poor. People here live mainly in the forest and work on the fields. However, in the past 3 years, the fields have continuously failed, so people have faced many difficulties. When the Covid epidemic broke out, the village had to implement medical isolation, and people's lives depend entirely on the support of the government and other organizations.charity group

After La Ngan village, on July 20, Luu Tien village, Chieu Luu commune, was also forced to establish a medical quarantine area when a Covid-19 infection case appeared in the area. Luu Tien village is isolated by the Nam Mo river, with 162 people, with 870 people, nearly 100% of whom are Khmu ethnic people, up to 60% of whom are poor and near-poor households.

Panoramic view of La Ngan village, Chieu Luu commune, Ky Son district. Photo: Thanh Cuong

“To help people develop the economy, the local government has implemented many solutions such as capital support, providing plant varieties, implementing models of raising ducks and crossbred cows, but they are still ineffective. People's lives have not changed much. Mostly because local people are still backward, have many bad customs, have not changed old habits and production practices, so output and efficiency are low. In particular, over 50% of people here are middle-aged and older and illiterate. Many people do not even know how to speak the common language, so people have little communication with the outside world and have difficulty accessing science and technology in production.

After the outbreak, the two villages were quarantined to prevent the epidemic, and people faced many difficulties. There was almost no food and food reserves, people mainly lived on support from the district, and donations from organizations and individuals. The commune itself also supported necessities, instant noodles, rice, etc. for people in the quarantine area. However, as a poor commune, with nearly 7,000 people, 3 times larger than the average population of communes in Ky Son, Chieu Luu was not able to fully care for the people of La Ngan and Luu Tien" - said Mr. La Duc Thoai - Chairman of the People's Committee of Chieu Luu commune.

Together to fight the epidemic

Up to now, Ky Son district has been implementing well the solutions to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic, such as: tightening the management of the medical quarantine areas of La Ngan and Luu Tien villages; ensuring epidemic prevention work according to the "4 on-site" motto; at the same time providing food and necessities to ensure the lives of people in the blockade and quarantine areas.

Ky Son has set up medical quarantine areas in La Ngan and Luu Tien villages to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Thanh Cuong

“Ky Son district has mobilized medical forces, police, military, militia and self-defense forces of the district and Chieu Luu commune to deploy forces to prevent and control the epidemic. Timely investigation and tracing, transfer F1 to centralized quarantine, spray disinfectant in high-risk areas. The district has also organized and mobilized the people of the district to support food and provisions for households in the blockaded area” - Mr. Nguyen Huu Minh, Head of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district said.

With the motto of "resolutely not letting people go hungry", to better meet the people's basic needs, Ky Son district has assigned the district Fatherland Front Committee to be the focal point to receive, distribute and ensure appropriate distribution of food, foodstuffs and relief goods. The district Fatherland Front Committee has called on the district's communes and towns, units and businesses located in the area to join hands to support people facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

People receive food and food aid from local authorities. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Despite many efforts, it is clear that the resources for fighting the epidemic in Ky Son district are very limited. More than ever, the people of La Ngan and Luu Tien in particular, and Ky Son district in general, still need the cooperation and contribution to fight the Covid-19 epidemic from all levels, sectors, organizations and philanthropists.

Those who wish to send their thoughts to La Ngan and Luu Tien, please contact Mr. Ho Dinh Que - Chairman of the Fatherland Front Committee of Ky Son district. Phone number 0916.457.418; or Mr. Lo Minh Nhan - Vice Chairman of the Red Cross Society of Ky Son district, Phone number 0945.546.569.

Thanh Cuong