Quynh Lap firmly 'rows' against the Covid - 19 pandemic

Thanh Chung - Thanh Cuong• DNUM_BGZAFZCACB 10:07

(Baonghean.vn) - Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the fishing profession of fishermen in Quynh Lap commune faced many difficulties. However, the people of Quynh Lap always had confidence, solidarity, and a firm "rowing hand" to defeat the Covid-19 pandemic.

5 thôn ở xã Quỳnh Lập thực hiện giãn cách xã hội, những con thuyền đành nằm yêu nơi cửa lạch. Ảnh: Thành Cường

5 villages in Quynh Lap commune practice social distancing, boats have to stay still at the mouth of the creek. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Sea Village - Sadness Before the Waves

Quynh Lapis a coastal commune at the head of Nghe An, bordering Nghi Son town, Thanh Hoa province. The livelihood of the people here is mainly seafaring and fishing logistics. Quynh Lap fishermen are familiar with natural disasters, storms and waves. They are always resilient in sticking to the sea to exploit seafood and protect the Fatherland. According to statistics, currently, Quynh Lap is the locality with the largest number of fishing vessels registered and operating in Hoang Sa fishing grounds in Nghe An province, with about 140 vessels. The number of nearshore fishing vessels is about 40.

This May 2021, the coastal village of Quynh Lap has to face a strange "wave" called Covid-19. On May 6, patient 3098 in Son Long village was found to be infected with Covid-19. Nghe An province has decided to lock down 5/8 villages of Quynh Lap commune, namely Tam Tien, Dong Tien, Tan Hai, Tan Thanh and Son Long, with nearly 1,900 households and more than 8,300 people, to prevent the epidemic. Many people who had direct contact with patient 3098 were taken to centralized medical quarantine; thousands of people who had indirect contact with patient 3098 were forced to quarantine at home...

Before the epidemic, the local seafaring profession faced many difficulties.

Bờ kè lạch Cờn phía xã Quỳnh Lập vắng lặng vì Covid-19, không còn đông vui như thường ngày. Ảnh: Thành Chung

The embankment of Con creek on the side of Quynh Lap commune is quiet due to Covid-19, no longer as crowded as usual. Photo: Thanh Chung

After patient 3098 was discovered, the authorities of Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town tried every way to inform the situation to offshore fishing boats that left the port before April 29 (the day patient 3098 returned to the locality); requesting that when these boats return, they dock at another estuary, sell seafood and buy supplies there, and should not return to the locality at this time...

These efforts have more or less yielded results as the above information has been received and implemented by about 50% of the boats in the commune (that set sail before April 29).

Unfortunately, some other offshore fishing boats did not receive the information; some nearshore fishing boats were not eligible to buy supplies... and returned and came into contact with the people of Quynh Lap who were under lockdown, so they could not go back to sea according to the "no entry, no exit" distancing regulations of Directive 16. Some boats that arrived at other inlets were more or less discriminated against by some people, and did not buy goods, so they also had to return to Quynh Lap...

Hải sản đánh bắt không bán ngay được, người dân Quỳnh Lập đành phải cấp đông, phơi khô. Ảnh: Thành Cường

Unable to sell their seafood immediately, Quynh Lap residents have to freeze and dry it. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Implementing social distancing to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic, the fishing industry in Quynh Lap has encountered many difficulties. Mr. Phan Van Hai - Chairman of the Quynh Lap Commune Fisheries Association said: “I myself have 4 offshore fishing boats with 26 crew members. Before patient 3098 was discovered, the boat had 10 days to repair, stock up on oil, ice and food to prepare to go out to sea. So far, the boat has been unable to go fishing for nearly 20 days. Meanwhile, the monthly salary of the crew members still has to be paid, estimated at 300 million VND/month. Not only me but other boat owners are also facing many difficulties...”.

Three years ago, crew members in Quynh Lap went fishing and were paid by the product. But then, not all boats caught a lot of fish at all times. With low income, many crew members quit their jobs, left their hometowns, and went to work far away. To retain seafaring workers, ship owners had to change the form of salary payment from piece rate to monthly salary.

Anh Phan Văn Hải, Chủ tịch Hội Nghề cá xã Quỳnh Lập. Ảnh Thành Cường

Mr. Phan Van Hai - Chairman of Quynh Lap Commune Fisheries Association shared the difficulties. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Not only the ship owners but also the cold storage warehouses in Quynh Lap are facing difficulties. Mr. Le Huu Huan, owner of Huan Phong cold storage factory, said: “Due to the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic in general and in Quynh Lap commune in particular, now the seafood caught by fishing boats is difficult to sell, and the price is also cheap. Normally, the factory can buy pre-processed products and sell them right away, but now it cannot be sold and has to freeze them. Of course, the quality is worse... Most fishermen and businesses in Quynh Lap borrow money from banks; I just hope that banks will sympathize with the Covid-19 epidemic and the social distancing situation and extend and reduce interest rates during this period.”

Together we overcome the epidemic

Faced with the difficulties of fishermen in Quynh Lap commune, on May 13, a working delegation of the Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control of Nghe An province led by Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long directly inspected 5 locked-down villages of Quynh Lap commune and worked with them.Hoang Mai townwith this content.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long directed: Hoang Mai Town and Quynh Lap Commune need to continue to strictly implement solutions to prevent the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Thanh Cuong

After directly surveying Quynh Lap commune and listening to opinions from relevant levels and sectors, comrade Bui Dinh Long expressed his deep sympathy for the difficulties of fishermen.

Analyzing the Covid-19 epidemic situation, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long stated: Currently, F1 and F2 related to patient 3098 have been quarantined and tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 virus 1-3 times. Hoang Mai town has controlled the epidemic. However, the epidemic safety coefficient is not high when the Covid-19 epidemic in Vietnam is developing very complicatedly, with outbreaks in many provinces and cities.

Covid-19 is a new disease, with many strains of viruses that we still cannot fully understand. There are cases where F1 is negative but F2 is positive; there are cases where the test is negative 3 times but the test is only positive on the 4th time. And we still do not know which strain of virus patient 3098 has... It would be very dangerous to let people go out to sea to catch seafood. If unfortunately there is a case of a fisherman getting sick, it will be very difficult to prevent infection for other crew members. And the rescue work is also very difficult, endangering people's lives. At the same time, if the quarantine is not implemented according to the prescribed number of days, the risk of new infections appearing and spreading to the community is possible.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long presents gifts to the Covid-19 prevention and control force in Quynh Lap commune. Photo: Thanh Cuong

Through the actual inspection of the 5 villages locked down according to Directive 16 in Quynh Lap commune, it can be seen that the implementation of social distancing here is not really good, not ensuring the principle of family isolation from family, village isolation from village. Through the inspection, it is found that the traffic conditions in the 5 villages of Quynh Lap are very difficult to prevent people from villages from traveling to each other. Therefore, reducing the blockade area is not possible.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Bui Dinh Long expressed his hope that Quynh Lap residents would clearly understand the risks of the epidemic, consider the economic benefits against the risks to their lives and health and the community, and then strictly implement the requirements for Covid-19 prevention and control.

The Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee assigned responsibility to Hoang Mai town and all levels and sectors to closely follow all developments in the lives of people in Quynh Lap commune to report, recommend, and propose to the province, as well as provide timely support.

Mr. Le Huu Huan confided: The people of the commune will continue to be confident, united, and well implement the instructions of the superiors to together defeat the Covid-19 epidemic. Photo: Thanh Cuong

These reasonable and emotional instructions have been clearly understood by the people of Quynh Lap commune and they have committed to complying well. Mr. Ho Sy Hoang - Party Secretary, Chairman of the People's Council of Quynh Lap commune said: Quynh Lap people have been closely following the instructions on epidemic prevention and control of the Steering Committees at all levels through the media and press. Immediately after receiving the instructions of the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, Quynh Lap commune has stepped up propaganda of these contents. Mr. Le Huu Huan - a resident of Quynh Lap commune confided: The people of the commune will continue to be confident, united, and well implement the instructions of the above to together defeat the Covid-19 epidemic./.