Vegetables being loaded into a bus belonging to Bao Yen Construction Services Tourism Co., Ltd. in HCM City last week. Five such buses are being used to distribute vegetables around the city. (Photo: VNA)He was concerned that the situation could spin “out of control”, comparing itto India or Indonesia.
I told my friend that he had called at a good time as I had just read a newsstory from the Singapore-based The Straits Times, headlined “Vietnam grappleswith public frustration over COVID-19 pandemic missteps and transparency”,mentioning the growing unhappiness about the pandemic control measures.
The story, I believe, described the situation in a superficial way. I haveclosely observed the global situation, especially in the US, EU and AsiaPacific, so I was also shocked initially at the surge in cases in Vietnam as ithad successfully contained the virus for much of the pandemic last year andearly this year. It was one of the world’s top success stories.
Prior to the current wave, the country’s total caseloads stood at only 3,000cases with 35 deaths since the pandemic emerged in early 2020. The number ofcases was so few that the country was able to assign a number to every singlecase, such as patient 1,234, for example.
The number of cases and deaths recorded in the country of nearly 100 millionseemed almost too good to be true to the rest of the world, including developedcountries with advanced public healthcare systems. But it was indeed thereality.
The country was praised by the international community for dealing with theoutbreak with its strict quarantine methods, contact tracing, and stringentlocalised lockdowns.
However, things have changed as the spike in cases caused by the highlycontagious Delta variant since late April has caused daily cases to repeatedlyhit new highs.
The country on July 29 recorded an additional 7,594 cases, bringing the totalnumber of cases to 128,413 cases, with 863 deaths.
HCM City has recorded more than 80,000 locally transmitted cases since thefourth wave that began in late April.
Unprecedented measures
As a city resident, I can see that the whole country, especially the epicentreHCM City, began taking strong yet flexible measures beginning in late May.
The largest city in the country has imposed the toughest movement restrictionsso far, including banning people from going out from 6pm to 6am beginning onJuly 26, following two weeks of a lockdown and more than a month of socialdistancing.
The city administration attributed the tough orders to the risks posed by thehighly transmissible Delta variant, which was first found in India last Octoberand has spread to hundreds of countries.
HCM City Party Secretary Nguyen Van Nen has apologised to all citizens for anyinconveniences caused by the recent measures.
He said he was fully aware of the impact on millions of citizens but “the cityadministration has no choice. The safety of its residents is the top priority.”
Instead of complaining, I think people should find a way to adjust andcooperate with the government to help contain the virus so that life can returnto the “new normal” as soon as possible.
Elsewhere in the world, Australia, for example, which was also one of the mostsuccessful countries in combating the pandemic, has also had to recently imposestrict lockdown measures, following a spike in cases in Sydney due to the Deltavariant, according to Reuters.
“You only get one chance to go hard and go fast,” Victoria Premier DanielAndrews was quoted by Reuters as saying during a televised news conference. “Ifyou wait, if you hesitate, if you doubt, then you will always be looking backwishing you had done more earlier. I am not prepared to avoid a five-daylockdown now only to find ourselves in a five-week or a five-month lockdown.”
Essentials goods ensured
To stem the spread of the virus, HCM City has temporarily closed most of itstraditional markets and all three wholesale markets. Of the 234 traditionalmarkets in the city, 93 have been closed and as many as 94 convenience storeshave also been closed.
It is understandable that the restrictions have caused frustration amongresidents suffering from “pandemic fatigue”, including myself and especiallypeople like vendors who are no longer able to sell their goods or produce fromtheir stalls in markets or on the streets.
Supply chains have also been seriously disrupted as city authorities haverequired workers and truckers arriving from HCM City to be tested for COVID-19before they could pass through to other provinces.
Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, deputy director of the city Department of Industry andTrade, said the closure of many traditional markets was affecting strugglingresidents who usually buy their food daily.
To prevent a disruption in the supply of goods, especially food, the departmenthas told modern retail outlets and firms participating in the pricestabilisation programme to increase supply to compensate for the temporaryclosure of markets.
It has set up around 3,000 price-stabilisation points in supermarkets,convenience stores and 388 mobile sales points in city districts and Thu Duc city.
It has also worked with suppliers to organise mobile price-stabilisation salespoints to help the poor and disadvantaged, as well as people living inquarantined and locked-down areas.
In addition, the department is issuing grocery cards and numbered tickets tolimit the number of shoppers inside traditional markets.
The city will also pilot a plan in which only two to 10 small traders of fruitand vegetables will sell at traditional markets or will take turns if many smallbusinesses want to reopen at the same time.
Several bus companies that are now unable to transport passengers due tolockdown measures have begun to use their vehicles to sell vegetables and otheressential goods to city residents.
The city also began using five express ships to quickly deliver goods from theMekong Delta, alleviating pressure on the city’s supermarkets and businessesamid social distancing regulations.
The express ships were originally meant to transport passengers, but chairswere taken out so that goods can be transported. Each ship can make two returntrips every day, and more ships can be registered if needed.
To ensure smooth flow of goods on the roads, the ministry has ordered thetransport departments of HCM City and all provinces to ensure the circulationof essential goods, while the ministries of Industry and Trade, and Agricultureand Rural Development, will maintain supply chains during the lockdown period.
To reduce congestion at checkpoints, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van The haseliminated the testing requirement for drivers transporting essential goodswithin 19 southern provinces as long as they strictly comply with preventionmeasures.
The city is also considering reopening traditional markets as its three largestwholesale markets have been closed.
The most vulnerable people in the city, such as the poor, lottery ticketsellers and vendors, have been hit hardest by the strict lockdown measures.Some have been heard to say that they fear they could die of starvation beforedying from the pandemic.
In Vietnam, many individuals and charity organisations have ensured that no onegoes hungry. They are offering free supplies of rice and other essential goodsto people affected by the pandemic.
The city government has also provided financial relief packages to affectedpeople.
Le Thi Dan, 72, of the city’s District 5, whose family has 12 members, said:“District authorities gave rice and instant noodles to us a couple of times andour neighbours gave us five kilogrammes of rice.”
“We are very grateful,” she said.
In addition, dozens of so-called zero-dong markets have been set up by the RedCross and others to help the poor and those who have lost jobs during thepandemic.
Vaccination campaign
Despite these helpful measures, experts have said that only vaccinations canbring life back to normal. That’s why Vietnam early this month started itsnationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, targeting people aged 18 and above.
The Government is making every effort to acquire vaccines amid a global vaccineshortage. It has also allowed businesses to join in the effort to seek vaccinesources with government approval.
The country so far has secured 105 million vaccine doses for 2021 and isworking to acquire 150 million doses, with the aim of achieving herd immunityby April 2022.
The COVID-19 vaccine fund has also attracted great support from people,organisations and companies both at home and abroad.
It has so far received donations worth more than 8 trillion VND (348 millionUSD), which is being spent on purchasing vaccines.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has said that vaccinations will be distributedin a fair, equal, open, transparent, flexible and effective manner.
Many of the available vaccines now are prioritised for HCM City and nearbyprovinces where the situation is worsening.
HCM City on July 22 started its fifth phase of its vaccination drive, with930,000 doses expected to be administered.
Frontline health workers and non-medical personnel who may have been exposed toCOVID-19 patients, police, and military personnel will be the first to getvaccines in HCM City.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the vaccinations will be carriedout in accordance with the Government’s guidance on COVID-19 vaccine purchaseand use, and there will be no discrimination against foreigners living andworking in Vietnam.
Other priority groups for vaccination include the elderly and those who areabout to go abroad to study or work.
Residents in HCM City can now register for vaccination on the website of theward authorities in their districts.
I believe each country has its own challenges in the fight against the virusand each resident plays a major role in the fight. For what the Government andVietnamese people have done so far, I still believe that the country remainshighly proactive and worthy of praise in its fight against the pandemic./.
