Leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade visit a supermarket in Hanoi to check supplies of essential goods. (Photo: VietnamPlus) Hanoi (VNA) – Pandemic-hit cities and provinces have developed multiple scenarios for adequate supplies of essential goods to effectively fight COVID-19 in any circumstances.
Ensuring abundant supply of necessities
Since the fourth wave of COVID-19 struck the country in late April, Hanoi has so far reported 20 community infections, 44 cases linked to the outbreak in the National Hospital of Tropical Diseases’ No.2 campus in Dong Anh and 11 others linked to Hospital K’s Tan Trieu campus.
To stablise the market and prevent disruption, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has devised a plan for goods supply with three alternative scenarios.
The department’s scenarios provide details about how to ensure smooth movement of goods from other cities and provinces to Hanoi, and help them distribute their products in the capital city in accordance to different levels of COVID-19 risk, said Director Tran Thi Phuong Lan.
An estimated 194 trillion VND, or over 8.55 billion USD, worth of essential goods are made ready to serve Hanoi’s residents within three months, while about 21.5 trillion VND worth of products are prepared to help other localities.
The department has also built three scenarios for total volume of goods to be needed by people in quarantined and locked down areas. Accordingly, nearly 313.8 billion VND worth of goods will be supplied to people in these areas under the best-case scenario in which Hanoi sees under 1,000 COVID-19 infections.
Hanoi will prepare close to 1.05 trillion VND worth of products under the second scenario where 1,000 to 3,000 cases are recorded, and around 5.36 trillion VND in the worst-case scenario with over 3,000 – 30,000 coronavirus cases.
Lan said owners of food stalls at wet markets are required to regularly disinfect their areas, maintain a distance of at least one metres between consumers, encourage takeaways and install table shields to prevent the spread of germs.
Any seller who fails to fully adhere to COVID-19 rules set by the Ministry of Health must suspend operation, she emphasised.
In the nearby province of Vinh Phuc, the provincial Department of Industry and Trade has worked with local wet markets and supermarkets to ready food supplies to deal with the virus on a larger scale.
Wholesale providers of consumer goods, foods and other essential items are committed to stockpiling sufficient goods to tackle the growing complexity of the COVID-19 resurgence.
The department has made an initial estimate of the volume and types of goods needed for stockpile and how they will be stored, transported and distributed, even under the worst-case scenario that the province needs to promptly supply quarantined and sealed off areas, said a representative.
The Department of Industry and Trade of the northern province of Ha Nam, meanwhile, have established multiple inspection teams at wet markets and supermarkets to prepare themselves in all circumstances.
Despite of the complex virus situation, Ha Nam is securing steady and abundant supplies of goods at stable prices, a representative from the provincial department said, adding that they will not let goods shortages or price fever happen.
Getting tough on hoarding and speculation
There is no panic buying even in quarantined areas or those under social distancing rules, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Domestic Market Department.
The ministry has been closely coordinating with its local chapters to keep a close watch on the market situation and without delay address problems in goods supply, a representative said. It has also worked with wholesalers to come up with plans for effective distribution of goods and support distribution of farm produce when harvest season comes.
Hanoi sees abundant supply of goods at local supermarkets. (Photo: VietnamPlus) The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade has demanded major retailers and relevant authorities to provide steady and sufficient supplies of the most sought-after products, such as oil and gas, food and foodstuff, face masks, hand sanitisers and others, to local residents.
Its market watchdog forces have ramped up inspection to crack down scammers and prevent price gougers from attempting to profiteer off the pandemic./.
