Could you tell us how the province assesses the risk of coronavirus-caused acute respiratory disease in the province?

It can be said that Bac Giang is a very sensitive area that is identified as a key point in the prevention and control of the acute respiratory disease as it is a province near the Vietnam-China border.

Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Duong Van Thai.

In the province, there are currently many Chinese enterprises investing in 149 projects, with nearly 2,000 Chinese working in local companies. In particular, the province has a large number of people who work in China and return to their hometowns to celebrate Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday. This is a great risk of spreading the disease.

Although currently no coronavirus infection case is detected in the province, with the drastic direction of the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and central agencies, Bac Giang province has actively implemented measures with a view of staying proactive, not subjective and calm to avoid causing confusion and worry among the people.

With the view of "fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy", the province focuses on directing and pays special attention to prevention and control of the disease; promote communications to raise awareness of agencies at all levels and sectors, and especially the people, so that everyone can thoroughly understand the disease, and therefore take the initiative in preventing and fighting the epidemic for themselves and their families, community and society.

What measures does the province take to avoid neglect and delays in agencies and localities?

Currently, Bac Giang has established a provincial-level steering committee for nCoV prevention and control, with the Chairman of the provincial People's Committee as its head and all directors of the departments and agencies and chairpersons of the district People's Committees as its members. The province has directed districts and communes to set up their own steering committees headed by the chairpersons of the district and commune People's Committees.

Identifying epidemic prevention and control as the central and urgent political task of the entire political system, in which the heads of the local Party committees and authorities must take responsibility in implementing and directing the implementation of the task. At present, the provincial Steering Committee for nCoV prevention and control decided to set up three inspection teams to examine epidemic prevention and control in districts, Bac Giang city and industrial zones.

Could you please tell us the next measures of the province in the prevention and control of the disease, especially in areas where many people have travelled to do business in China over the past time?

In the face of the very complicated development of the epidemic, the provincial People's Committee issued a plan which outlined four situations. Firstly, there is no coronavirus outbreak in the province as at present and secondly, the province records patients and outbreaks. In the third situation, outbreaks take place in districts and city but still under control and in the last situation, the disease spreads out far beyond the response capacity of districts and city.

Teacher in Tan My Kindergarten School (Bac Giang city) instructs the students to properly wash their hands to prevent the disease.

From those four situations, the provincial People's Committee has directed agencies at all levels, sectors and localities to actively develop detailed plans and plans to cope with each situation.

At the same time, the province has also instructed competent forces such as the Police, the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, districts and city to review and ascertain the number of citizens returning from the epidemic areas, especially from China, to take measures to manage and quarantine them according to regulations, thus avoiding the spread of the disease.

The province continues to promote information and communication work to raise public awareness and provide full information on the epidemic situation, helping every citizen to know how to protect themselves, their families and society.

It has required the Department of Health to publicize a hotline to promptly receive and process information provided by people around the clock, especially information about cases of infection, to quickly notify health workers for timely treatment.

Thank you!

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