The meeting between Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue and the Party Organisation of the Hanoi Business Bloc on March 24 (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Politburo member and Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Vuong Dinh Hue has asked local enterprises to step up operations while preparing their response plans for the COVID-19 pandemic.
At a working session with the Party Organisation of the Hanoi Business Bloc and corporations based in the city on March 24, Hue stressed that COVID-19 prevention and control are the most urgent task at present, requesting them to take measures to ensure safety for their employees and clients, continue thrift practice, and ensure harmonious labour relations in their businesses.
Given the complex developments of the pandemic, he suggested that firms carry out concerted solutions to facilitate production and business activities while guaranteeing goods supply.
Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice Secretary of the Hanoi Business Bloc’s Party Committee, said under the municipal Party Committee’s direction, the bloc’s Party Committee had set up a steering board for COVID-19 prevention and control. It is determined to help contain the outbreak, sustain economic growth, and maintain political security and labourers’ safety, he said.
At the meeting, companies in the tourism sector asked ministries and central sectors to reduce taxes, extend deadlines for personal income tax payments, and delay social insurance contributions in the peak months of the epidemic.
They also called on the city’s authorities to issue practical policies to help them weather difficulties caused by COVID-19, invest more in tourism promotions and demand stimulation after the pandemic ends, support the creation of strategic tourism products, and resume big events that have been delayed like the F1 Vietnam Grand Prix to attract visitors.
Talking about countermeasures, a representative of Hanoitourist Corporation said the firm has asked local hotels to offer online sales and food services. It is also promoting online training and hotel renovation to prepare for tourism recovery when the outbreak is over.
Secretary of the Party Committee of the Hanoi Transport Services Corporation (Transerco) Nguyen Hoang Trung said the transport sector is currently struggling due to the impact of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, noting that in his company’s arm of public transport, about 7,000 labourers have been affected. Reducing shifts and letting its workers take annual leave are among the measures Transerco has applied so that employees can still receive their salaries.
For the Hanoi Trade Joint Stock Corporation (Hapro), its exports to key markets like the US, Europe and ASEAN have been stagnated. However, its retail activities remain effective with sales of essential goods and food in the domestic market rising about 25 – 30 percent, according to General Director Vu Thanh Son.
The firm still manages to balance its operations in domestic distribution via the Hapro mart network and export, he said, adding that it is pressing on with production and business activities, stockpiling and supplying goods, and stabilising prices as ordered by the municipal administration./.
VNA
