Checking body temprature in Nam Dịnh city (Phortoo: VNA)Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has approved the export of medical face masks andprotective clothing, as long as domestic demand, including reserves, ismet first.
These products could only beexported to countries that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, PMPhuc asked.
PM Phuc urged the ministries ofhealth and industry and trade to take early actions so producerscould export medical face masks and protective clothing as many countriesare facing shortages of these products in the fight against the COVID-19pandemic.
The Ministry of Health mustpropose amendments to the Government’s Resolution 20/NQ-CP dated February28 to facilitate exports of these products.
Under the resolution, medicalface masks can only be exported for international aid and assistanceprovided by the Government, with export volume capped at 25 percent of theproducers’ total output.
With the Prime Minister’s move,producers can now export medical face masks without a cap on the export volume,providing domestic demand is met.
Ministry of Health statisticsshow that there are about 68 companies producing medical face masks andprotective clothing in Vietnam. Some garment companies are also investing inproducing medical face masks, besides cloth face masks, such as Garment 10Corporation Joint Stock Company and TNG Investment and Trading Joint StockCompany.
The Vietnam Trade Office in theEuropean Union warned that the mass production of medical face masks andprotective clothing without following any technical standards would causeoversupply and damages if the products could not be exported.
The trade office said producersmust note that to export medical face masks and medical protectiveclothing to the EU, CE marking was compulsory. CE marking indicates that aproduct had been assessed by the manufacturers and deemed to meet EU safety,health and environmental protection requirements.
Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Directorof the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Import-Export Department, urged facemask producers to pay attention to meeting quality and safety requirements ofimport markets and obtain certificates to be able to export./.
VNA
