Personal, collective resonsibility on COVID-19 spread must be made clear: PM

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (standing) at the working session with the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control on May 2 (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has requested that the responsibility of individuals and organisations on COVID-19 spread must be made clear, and asked competent authorities to mete strict punishment to any that violate regulations and have a role to play in the failure of the containment.

At a working session with the National Steering Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control on May 2, Chinh asked the committee to review the pandemic prevention work in the past time, with focus sharpened on analysing responsibilities of organisations, localities, and individuals.

The session was held in the context that the pandemic has become more complicated in the country recently since more people have tested positive for the SARS-CoV-2 after coming into close contact with a patient in the northern province of Ha Nam.

As Ba Ria – Vung Tau province, Khanh Hoa province and Da Nang city have failed to follow the Ministry of Health’s prevention instruction in recent days, local authorities must work to clarify personal responsibility, he stressed.

Harsh punishment, even criminal liability, must be imposed to any violations of existing regulations, he said.

COVID-19 patients should receive timely treatment; however, he said, anyone who does not obey quarantine rule leading to the spread of COVID-19 will be penalised.

PM Chinh ordered sectors and localities to carry out COVID-19 prevention directions of the Party Permanent Secretariat, the State President, the Government and the Prime Minister, and most recently President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s direction which requires localities nationwide to kick off preventive measures to zone off and stamp out the outbreak.

He ordered localities to enhance testing capacity as well as tighten discipline at concentrated quarantine sites, medical stations, and immigration areas.

Additionally, the Ministry of Health must speed up COVID-19 vaccination, and work to approach more quality vaccine sources, he added.