Hanoi (VNA) - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has asked local authorities,which are imposing social distancing, not to let residents leave their placesof residence for another locality after July 31 until the end of social distancing inhis latest dispatch.

Under the document, Ho Chi Minh City along with 18 southern localitieswill continue to enforce social distancing measures in line with theGovernment’s Directive 16 for two more weeks.

The original social distancing order for the entire southernregion with a population of about 35 million people, effective since July 19,was set to expire on August 1 but the fourth-wave COVID-19 outbreak has shownno signs of letting up.

The Prime Minister wants all localities under Directive 16 –which includes measures like the closure of all non-essential businesses,leaving home only for essential goods and services, and suspension of publictransport – to strictly abide by the rules and stand ready to roll out morestringent measures if necessary.

Most of southern localities, including HCM City, Binh Duong,and Dong Nai asked people not to go outside at night.

The order goes on to state that local authorities must stepup their information campaign and carry out immediately necessary measures toensure the livelihood and healthcare of residents to ensure they can remainwhere they are.

The order came as thousands of people – mostly workers fromthe central region and other southern localities – have left or were makingplans to leave HCM City on their personal vehicles for their hometown due tothe worsening COVID-19 outbreak, business closures, the imposition of socialdistancing, and the adverse impacts it was having on their livelihoods.

“Leaders of provincesand cities are responsible to the Prime Minister if they let people travel outof their localities on their own. For people who want to leave one province foranother, all relevant localities’ authorities must organise the pick-up anddrop-off sites to ensure the safety of the community, as well as arrangetesting, transportation by car (trucks can be used to carry people's motorbikesif people travel by motorbike), handover protocols, quarantine facilities andmedical supervision in accordance with regulations, in order to not let thedisease spread,” the dispatch reads.

The Ministry of Public Security has been tasked withconsulting local authorities with regard to transportation and routes.

The dispatch notesthat if the social distancing measures are effective, and if the situation isunder control, provincial and municipal authorities could consider liftingrestrictions for certain areas under their jurisdiction. For inter-provincialareas, however, restriction removal would need the agreement of all concernedlocalities and the plan would have to be submitted to the National SteeringCommittee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control before any decision was made.

All local governments across the country need to immediatelyprovide food and medical attention for all workers suffering from income lossor those without savings. Support for their people who are working or living inHCM City or elsewhere with complicated COVID-19 situations must be provided.

The Prime Minister urged a faster rollout of COVID-19vaccinations and emphasised that no dose should go to waste. He also said thatadministrators of the vaccination programme must ensure priority groups receivetheirs first and that there are not incidents of abuses of power to administervaccines to ineligible persons.

The Government leader also called for the participation ofmedical workers in the private sector in the local COVID-19 fight and said theyshould stand ready to reinforce localities with high case numbers in line withthe health ministry’s direction.

The Ministry of Public Security will need to lead efforts tohandle fake news that undermine COVID-19 prevention and control efforts.

The Ministry of Health has also been told to shortenadministrative procedures related to production and the supply of COVID-19vaccines and drugs, and review and propose additional appropriate supportpolicies for medical staff and frontline forces./.