PRESS RELEASE On COVID-19 Pandemic Situation in Can Tho City

Currently, under the quick progress and complexity of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, in our country and especially in Southern provinces and cities, including Can Tho all livelihood and aspects of our people have been affected directly.

With decisive and proactive spirit in COVID -19 prevention, during this time, the political system and municipal citizens have tried our best and determined to implement "the double objectives" to both ensure business, manufacturing activities and focus on preventing and controlling the pandemic from its outbreak and wide spread; additionally to develop plans, scenarios and be ready for every pandemic situation in the areas.

However, up to 5 PM of July 15^th 2021, the city recorded 57 COVID-19 cases (15 new cases alone on July 15^th). Its authorities have immediately tracked, traced, zoned, tested and isolated related cases. From the complexity stated above, especially with unknown-sources of F0 cases, in order to end the pandemic quickly to assure lives and health of it citizens, the city authorities decided to implement the Directive No.16/CT-TTg in three districts (Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang and Binh Thuy) and Directive No.15/CT-TTg in the remaining ones. They additionally reached an agreement to uniformly direct the People's Committees of districts (Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Binh Thuy and O Mon) to isolate some ward areas of their regions.

To strictly implement the standpoint "Fight the pandemic as if it was an invader", the city, therefore, has identified its current important missions as follow: to concentrate all efforts on its effective implementation of COVID-19 prevention and control in the region; to implement well social welfare policies; to maintain activities of units producing and trading essential commodities who sufficiently meet pandemic prevention and control conditions and to promptly return the city to the new normal state contributing to the peace of mind and stability of the people's life and activities.

With the highest spirit of preventing and controlling COVID-19 sources in the region, especially in tracing, zoning, totally isolating, and promptly treating infected cases so that disease cannot spread widely, the city has decided to practice social distancing and lockdown in areas of which some with high potentials but have not yet recorded any infected cases (F0). Dozens of checkpoints at the exit and entry of the city and the neighboring areas of districts, sub-urban districts were set up. These practices have created certain difficulties for citizens' travel, commodity shopping, trading and  business activities and other essential needs.

During the first two days of social distancing and lockdown, many people  still gathered to shop and stock for essential commodities, causing "sold-out" and price pushing phenomena in markets and supermarkets, which has made the pandemic prevention and control unsecured. Due to many causes, but mainly to rectify this issue, the People's Committee of Can Tho City has promptly directed the Department of Industry and Trade and the People's Committees of districts and sub-urban districts  to work out options to increase sufficient supplies of goods, especially essential  commodities; to stabilize prices at supermarket systems; to prevent from shortages of goods, price raise, goods hoarding and to encourage people to practice online shopping with online selling points being widely publicized on mass media and social networks. The issue of essential goods has been stable up to this point. Supermarkets and convenient stores that are eligible to operate basically have enough essential goods to serve the citizens.

To ensure  the strict implementation of the COVID-19 prevention and control in the city areas with high effectiveness, determination of pandemic zoning and suppression in a short period of time and restoration of a peaceful, stable life for citizens, the city is calling for its people, cadres, soldiers to unify, stand together to overcome the difficulties ahead, simultaneously to perform two urgent and long-term tasks of both focusing on pandemic prevention and ensuring the manufacturing of goods to serve the citizens. At the moment, it is necessary to strictly comply with the provisions of the law and recommendations of health authorities on the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic; to remain calm, not to panic; to raise vigilance against bad and untrue information. At the same time, it is advisable to show beautiful, warm-hearted actions to encourage morale of officers and soldiers on the front lines against the COVID-19 "enemy"; to join hands with the city in propaganda campaigns so that each citizen is a soldier, each family is a solid "fortress" in the current pandemic prevention and control war.

(Translated from the Vietnamese version)