At a pig farm in Ba Vi (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The outlying Ba Vi district of Hanoi has well-maintained its COVID-19-free zones, or ‘green zones’, along with ensuring business operations to meet demand of local residents and supply for those in downtown.
The district, the largest one in Hanoi in terms of area, has various arterial roads leading to other localities and is viewed as having high risk of spreading COVID-19 to others. However, it has yet to report any infections in the community so far.
Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ba Vi Do Manh Hung said despite its ‘green zone’ status, the district has stayed vigilant and taken the initiative in devising scenarios, solutions and measures as if it were a ‘red zone’, or areas with high-risk of infections.
The district had rolled out guidelines of the Party, Government and Prime Minister when COVID-19 cases were not detected in Hanoi.
Therefore, when many localities of Hanoi reported new outbreaks, Ba Vi quickly kick-started preparatory plans in association with preventive measures by the municipal Party organisation and People’s Committee.
In addition to three checkpoints at the city’s gateways to keep watch on people entering from other localities, Ba Vi set up nine more checkpoints at roads linking with other localities, along with 626 others at crossroads between its villages and communes.
Many inter-sectoral and mobile inspection groups have been established and launched hundreds of examinations.
As the district shuts infection risks from outside and applies movement control measures, it has sped up business operation and harvest in an attempt to deliver products to other localities.
Ba Vi makes a list of some 1,465 small traders offering essential goods at 23 markets to arrange COVID-19 testing, screening and vaccination. Farmers have been asked to maintain their crops and strive for high productivity.
To realise the capital city’s strategy to protect ‘green zones’, which focus on production to provide for consumption markets, Ba Vi has intensified animal husbandry and aquaculture development.
The district to date has had nearly 4,200 buffalos; 36,600 cows, including 11,500 milch cows which produce 23,000 tonnes of milk; 210,000 pigs; and 5.7 million fowls.
In addition to taking preventive measures in agricultural production, Ba Vi has carried out solutions to improve yield and set up groups specialising in commodities delivery to its communes.
As the district has formed links with supermarket chains, wholesale markets and major consumption markets, most of its products are sold at a quick speed and local people do not suffer losses due to abundancy.
It also mobilises all forces and devices to engage in cargo transport when necessary, as well as creates optimal conditions for firms and establishments in the ‘green zone’ in a bid to prevent disruption in the supply chain.
Since the fourth wave of COVID-19 outbreaks hit Vietnam until mid-September, Hanoi recorded nearly 3,900 cases across its localities, including 10 districts in the ‘red zone’.
Hanoi has basically completed mass testing citywide and administered the first shot of COVID-19 vaccine to almost all people in the targeted group.
The city has so far had more than 600 ‘green-zones’ for businesses, which receive approval from local authorities. The firms are sparing no efforts to realise the twin targets of curbing the spread of COVID-19 and maintaining operation.
The municipal People’s Committee had permitted 19 district-level localities to resume certain services starting 12:00 noon on September 16, given the progress in the COVID-19 fight.
The hashtag ‘green zone’, or ‘safe zone’, has increased in popularity over recent days and reflects the determination of many localities to control the ongoing fourth wave of COVID-19 around Vietnam. Setting up more such 'green zones' to fight the pandemic is an effective measure to prevent the virus from spreading./.
