Bac Giang has five operating IPs with occupation rate of 81.7 percent. (Photo: VNA)Bac Giang (VNA) – The northern province of Bac Giang, one of the localities hardest hit by COVID-19, has worked hard to control the pandemic and settle major hotspots.
Currently, the most dangerous hotbeds are in Van Trung and Quang Chau industrial parks (IPs) in Viet Yen district where the number of infections has exceeded 1,500 since the latest outbreak occurred on May 8.
The province has defined its top priority of controlling and extinguishing major hotbeds in IPs, and recovering production of some enterprises in the IPs when the situation is more stable, with strict implementation of pandemic prevention and control measures.
Head of the Bac Giang Industrial Parks Management Board Dao Xuan Cuong said developing IPs has played an important role in Bac Giang’s industrialisation and modernisation process.
In recent years, the expansion of the IPs and attraction of investment in the areas have shown positive signs. In recent years, Bac Giang has entered top 10 localities nationwide in terms of investment attraction.
Industrial production of companies in local IPs takes major parts in the province’s production value, said Cuong, adding that the companies also make huge payment to the State budget and create jobs for a large number of labourers from the province and neighbouring areas, helping improving the living conditions of locals and transforming the province’s economic structure.
In the 2016-2020 period, Bac Giang set up one new IP - the Hoa Phu industrial zone which covers 207.45 hectares. In February 2021, the Prime Minister approved adjustments and supplementations to the province's IP planning.
Accordingly, Bac Giang will have three new IPs, namely the Yen Lu IP with total area of 377 hectares in Yen Lu and Nham Son communes of Yen Dung district; Yen Son – Bac Lung IP with area of 300 hectares in Yen Son and Bac Lung communes of Luc Nam district, and Tan Hung IP covering 105.3 hectares in Tan Hung and Xuong Lam communes of Lang Giang district.
Bac Giang is also allowed to expand three operating IPs – the Quang Chau IP with additional 90 hectares in Nenh township and Quang Chau and Van Trung communes of Viet Yen district; Hoa Phu IP with additional 85 hectares in Mai Dinh and Huong Lam communes of Hiep Hoa district; and Viet Han IP with additional 148 hectares in Hong Thai, Tang Tien communes and Nenh township of Viet Yen district.
Currently, the province has five operating IPs: Dinh Tram, Quang Chau, Van Trung, Song Ke-Noi Hoang, and Hoa Phu, with the occupation rate of 81.7 percent. All the operating IPs are located in Viet Yen, Yen Dung and Hiep Hoa districts. The selection of investors are being processed for the Viet Han IP.
As of the end of 2020, Bac Giang had nearly 400 licensed projects in local IPs, including more than 330 operating ones.
Giving COVID-19 vaccine shots to workers in Bac Giang IPs (Photo: VNA)The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected the operations of businesses in local IPs. Amid the risk of a widespread outbreak, the People’s Committee of Bac Giang had ordered the suspension of the Dinh Tram, Quang Chau, Van Trung, Song Khe-Noi Hoang IPs from May 18.
The factories are halted, while workers are sent to concentrated quarantine sites for COVID-19 testing and medical monitoring.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Le Anh Duong said that the prolonged closure of the IPs by COVID-19 will affect production activities, causing the disruption of production chains as many companies in the IPs are suppliers of enterprises across the world.
The province has coordinated with the Ministry of Health's special unit on support of COVID-19 prevention and control agency to gradually re-open the IPs in the pandemic situation, said Duong./.
