Vietnam reported no new COVID-19 cases on the morning of June 7, marking 52 consecutive days without infections in the community, said the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.

Among 329 confirmed cases in Vietnam to date, 189 are imported ones and were quarantined right after their arrival.

At present, a total of 9,088 people who had close contact with COVID-19 patients or entering Vietnam from pandemic-hit regions are being quarantined, including 72 at hospitals, 7,150 at concentrated quarantine establishments and 1,866 at home.

As many as 307 out of the 329 patients, or 93.3 percent, have been successfully treated.

The remaining 22 patients are undergoing treatment at centrally-run and provincial hospitals across the country and are in a stable health condition.

Of them, nine patients remained positive for the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, 10 tested negative for the virus once and three tested negative at least twice.

Politburo’s conclusion on ways to address COVID-19 impact

The Political Bureau on June 5 issued a conclusion on ways to address impact of the COVID-19 for national economic recovery and development.

It said the pandemic is having comprehensive, intensive and extensive impact on every country in the world, including Vietnam. Vietnam has pushed back and controlled the pandemic, yet it is developing in a complicated way in the world.

In that context, the Politburo stressed the need to utilise to the maximum the domestic market, cope with outside uncertainties so as to maintain the macro economic and social stability. Besides, a favourable and attractive business environment suitable to the new trend must be created, the conclusion said, adding chances and challenges must be clearly identified so as to work out solutions.

To do so, authorities and sectors must complete the tasks of implementing effectively and concertedly suitable mechanisms and policies to support the citizens, firms and workers; concentrating efforts to strongly develop the domestic market; extending the stability period of the state budget in the 2017-2020 to 2021.

Enhancing the disbursement and efficiency of public investment and adjusting the plans for this kind of resource are also taken as major tasks for the time to come.

Besides, the economic structure must be accelerated, competiveness enhanced, e-government development pushed, and social welfare ensured as long-term tasks.

The Politburo further said Party organisations throughout the country must seriously implement the above-mentioned tasks so as to accelerate the social and economic recovery and development after the pandemic. Meanwhile, the Party Central Committee’s Economic Commission is placed in charge of monitoring and inspecting the realisation of the conclusion./.

Indonesia reports highest daily COVID-19 cases

Indonesia on June 6 reported a record daily jump in COVID-19 cases within 24 hours with 993 infections, bringing the national tally to 30,514, said the Ministry of Health.

Speaking at a press conference on the same day, Achmad Yurianto, an official of the Health Ministry, said Indonesia now has a death toll of 1,801, a rise of 31 cases within one day.

Testing for COVID-19 is being carried out in areas with large numbers of infections across the country, while citizens are required to wear face masks to curb the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, the Philippines had 714 news cases to report in 24 hours as of June 6 afternoon, raising the number to 21,340, with 994 fatalities./.

Over 300 Vietnamese flown home from European countries

More than 300 Vietnamese in Sweden, Finland and other European countries were brought home safely from Stockholm and Helsinki airports on June 5 and 6.

The flights were conducted thanks to joint efforts of Vietnamese competent agencies, Vietnamese representative offices in the European countries, national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines and authorities of the host countries.

The passengers include students who completed their studies and met accommodation difficulties, under-18-year-old children, pregnant women, the elderly, sick people, tourists and workers with expired visas and labour contracts.

Upon their arrival at the Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi, they underwent health check-ups and were put under quarantine in line with regulations.

Depending on the preference of Vietnamese citizens abroad, the development of the pandemic at home and around the world, and quarantine capacity in Vietnam, more flights are to be conducted in the time to come to bring more Vietnamese citizens home./.

Cambodia’s hotels to reopen shortly

Hotels and international flights forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cambodia are expected to reopen this month.

Clais Chenda, President of Cambodia Hotel Association, said that some hotel owners confirm they will resume operations shortly and international flights are expected to commence from mid-June, as the local disease situation is seemingly calm.

So far, around 170 companies in the tourism sector in Cambodia have also been closed temporarily, leaving a 16,891 people unemployed, according to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

To help the sector, the government has launched four measures, extending for another two months a tax exemption from June to July for hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and tour operators.

It also provided an exemption for tourism licence fees for 2021 and said they were not required to pay into the National Social Security Fund during the crisis./.

Repatriated Vietnamese citizen completes isolation period in Vinh Long city

A Vietnamese national who had recently been repatriated from Cambodia was granted a certificate of quarantine completion on June 6 by health officials in Vinh Long city.

The citizen in question was 34-year-old Nguyen Hoang Hieu, a resident of ward 8 in Vinh Long city who had been working in Cambodia.

Hieu had originally returned to the country on May 18 and was immediately placed into isolation.

Over the course of the 14-day quarantine period, Hieu went on to test negative for the novel coronavirus twice, therefore meeting the necessary health standards in order to be granted permission to leave the isolation area.

At present, as many as 160 Vietnamese citizens, including 13 children and 11 pregnant women, remain in the quarantine area in Vinh Long city after recently being repatriated from Singapore.

Vietnamese citizens stranded in Sweden and Finland safely repatriated

A Vietnam Airlines flight carrying a total of 310 Vietnamese citizens who had been left stranded in Sweden and Finland as a result of the novel coronavirus successfully touched down at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi on June 6.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Sweden Phan Dang Duong, wearing a black suit, takes a photo alongside Vietnamese citizens before they catch the flight to return home. 

The flight was made up of citizens looking to return to the country in addition to those living in challenging circumstances. This includes adolescents, elderly people, sick people with underlying health issues, pregnant women, guest workers whose labour contracts had expired, and those who had been on legitimate business or holiday visas but had subsequently expired.

Onboard the flight were Vietnamese citizens from countries outside of Sweden and Finland too, including throughout Northern Europe such as Norway, Denmark, and Latvia, in addition to other European countries like Hungary, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal, and the Czech Republic.

Due to travel restrictions and border closures being put in place as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, the flight landed in the Swedish capital of Stockholm followed by the Finnish capital of Helsinki to collect the Vietnamese citizens.

Vietnamese representatives strived to collaborate closely with relevant agencies from both countries to organise the flight, creating favourable conditions for citizens to get to the airports, meeting the entry and exit requirements of both countries.

Vietnamese officials also came to each of the airports in order to assist the citizens with the necessary procedures required before the Vietnamese nationals boarded the plane.

Australia commits $7m to help Việt Nam recover post-COVID-19

Australia is impressed with Việt Nam's COVID-19 response and pledges AUD10.5 million (approx US$7.3 million) to support the country's post-pandemic recovery.

On Friday, during a reception for the Australian ambassador in Việt Nam Robyn Mudie by Minister of Planning and Investment, the two reiterated bilateral efforts in working together to minimise the impacts of the coronavirus crisis on people's lives and livehoods.

The Australian diplomat personally conveyed Australia's congratulations for Việt Nam's "outstanding success" against the COVID-19 pandemic.

They have also discussed how Việt Nam and Australia are supporting each other in tackling the long-term impacts of the COVID-19.

Robyn Mudie said her country is "refocusing much of its development programme in Việt Nam" to aid the country's COVID-19 response, including AUD$10.5 million towards high priority programmes, which would mainly deal with promoting economic recovery via analyses and advice on economic stimulus, infrastructure, trade, and gender equality, and supporting the most vulnerable people to the ongoing pandemic, especially women and children.

Việt Nam today marks the 50th consecutive days without no domestic community COVID-19 infections and the total tally stands at 328, while Australia has so far recorded over 7,000 cases and 102 deaths.

Japan provides aid to Vietnam for COVID-19 fight

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has provided aid packages worth 80 million JPY (US$733.300) to support Việt Nam’s countermeasures against COVID-19.

The first part of the aid package worth 60 million JPY ($550,000) to Chợ Rẫy Hospital in HCM City includes 2,000 copies of the Nosocomial Infection Control Manual, handed over to the Chợ Rẫy Hospital by JICA Vietnam Office on Wednesday.

Another package worth 20 million JPY ($183,300) will be given to six provincial Centres of Disease Control (CDCs) in Nam Định, Hà Giang, Bắc Giang, Vĩnh Phúc, Kiên Giang and Trà Vinh provinces.

With technical input from JICA experts, Chợ Rẫy Hospital’s Department of Infection Control developed the manual which is expected to improve infection control activities at the Chợ Rẫy Việt Nam-Japan Friendship Hospital and 21 provincial hospitals in the southern region, which are under Chợ Rẫy Hospital’s guidance and support.

Speaking at a meeting with a delegation of the JICA Vietnam Office at Chợ Rẫy Hospital on Wednesday, Nguyễn Tri Thức, director of Chợ Rẫy Hospital, said the hospital was one of the first hospitals in Việt Nam to receive support from JICA, beginning in 1969.

The hospital is working with JICA to build the Chợ Rẫy Việt Nam -Japan Friendship Hospital, Thức said.

JICA has helped Chợ Rẫy Hospital improve patient safety management and develop a multi-professional approach and infection control through the “Improvement of Hospital Management Competency” project that targets patient-oriented and high-quality medical services.

The project also improves hospital management capabilities.

In August 2019, to strengthen Chợ Rẫy’s nosocomial infection control capacity, the JICA project provided training on usage of personal protective equipment to doctors and nurses at the hospital.

Prior to the first confirmed patient with COVID-19 in January at Chợ Rẫy, JICA experts provided materials and conducted training sessions on nosocomial infection control at the hospital.

Since 2006, JICA has installed biosafety level-three laboratories that enable safe handling of highly hazardous pathogens at the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) and the Pasteur Institute in HCM City (PIHCMC).

JICA has also offered help to improve laboratory diagnoses of infectious pathogens. Based on this support, NIHE and PIHCMC have been able to test for COVID-19.

JICA experts are working with NIHE and PIHCMC to strengthen the examination capabilities and collaboration network of provincial CDCs in Việt Nam. 

Australia Ambassador impressed by Vietnam’s Covid-19 response

Australia and Vietnam are working together to contain the impact of the pandemic on lives and livelihoods.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie has said she is impressed and inspired by the “swift and decisive actions” taken by the Vietnamese government to tackle the threat of Covid-19.

“With just a few hundred confirmed cases and no recorded deaths, Vietnam’s management of the pandemic has been exemplary, deservedly capturing the world’s attention,” Ambassador Mudie told Vietnam’s Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung at the meeting on June 5.

Australia is committed to supporting Vietnam’s long-term response and recovery, Mudie stated at the meeting.

Under a strategic partnership, Australia and Vietnam are working together to contain the impact of the pandemic on lives and livelihoods. The two countries recently reiterated their commitment to boosting two-way trade and investment, and to supporting one another to respond to the long-term effects of the pandemic.

Australia has committed AUD10.5 million toward supporting Vietnam’s Covid-19 response and recovery, in a step that further strengthens economic and development cooperation between the two countries.

“Australia has refocused much of our development program in Vietnam to respond to Covid-19. We are supporting Vietnam by ensuring access to the best available economic analysis as the country shifts its focus toward stimulus and recovery. We are also supporting Vietnam’s efforts to protect the most vulnerable, especially women and girls who carry much of the burden as a result of the pandemic.” Ambassador Mudie said.

In addition, the flagship programs through which Australia and Vietnam cooperate on workforce development, economic reform, infrastructure, gender equality, agriculture, tourism, and innovation are supporting Vietnam’s economic recovery priorities.

Across the Indo-Pacific region, Australia has undertaken an unprecedented pivot of its development partnerships to further support health security, economic recovery and stability in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Australian government’s new Partnerships for Recovery policy was launched by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Women Marise Payne on May 29, 2020.

Hanoi aims to soon complete financial aid payment for people hit by Covid-19

Public servants in Hanoi considered the payment process their main responsibility to help people overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic, said a Hanoi leader.

As of May 20, 385,516 out of 385,683 aid beneficiaries, or 99.97% of the total, have received financial payment from the local authorities with a total amount of VND474.2 billion (US$20.32 million), according to Vice Director of the municipal Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Nguyen Hong Dan.

Hanoi aims to complete financial aid payment for people affected by Covid-19.
The payment is in line with the government’s guidelines in supporting people affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Vice Chairman of Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Doan Toan said the local people appreciated the city’s efforts to provide timely payment.

Toan said public servants considered the task their main responsibility to help those in hardship overcome difficulties caused by the pandemic.

So far, there has not been any complaint regarding the payment process, Toan stressed at a meeting with Minister of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung on June 5.

According to the local authorities, aid beneficiaries entitled to financial support from all 30 districts in Hanoi have all received payment.

Minister Dung commended Hanoi’s efforts in implementing efficiently the government’s supporting programs, adding this helped ensure social security during a difficult period.

On April 24, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed a decision to roll out a relief package worth VND62 trillion (US$2.7 billion) to support vulnerable people directly affected by Covid-19.

The package covers six beneficiary groups who would receive financial support in cash during three months starting April.

There are three groups of employees entitled to benefit from the US$2.7 billion package, including employees whose labor contracts were suspended, those taking leave without payment; laid-off employees not eligible for unemployment benefits; and workers who have no labor contracts and have lost jobs.

VNS/VNA/VOV/VNN/Hanoitimes