HCM City (VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Labour,Invalids and Social Affairs has raised a proposal to the municipal People’sCommittee, regarding the entry of 7,000 foreign experts amidst the ongoing COVID-19pandemic, saying their work is important to local business operation.
According to Director of the department Le Minh Tan, foreign experts andskilled workers will help local firms make good recovery from the pandemic.
Local authorities are arranging quarantine sites for the foreigners, he added.
Major projects in the city have faced damaging delays as foreign experts areunable to enter Vietnam over outbreak restrictions, including theunder-construction first metro line project.
As the pandemic has made 100 experts unable to return work at the project sinceMarch 18, the trial run of the metro line cannot be launched in the thirdquarter as scheduled.
Director of the city urban railwaymanagement board Bui Xuan Cuong said that the board is coordinating withcompetent organisations to facilitate entry of foreign experts, with a view tospeeding up construction of the metro line.
The board is striving to complete 82 percent of the total line’s workload bythe end of this year, and put it into operation in the end of 2021, he added.
Meanwhile, the southern province of Dong Nai always creates favourableconditions for entry of foreign workers as it is crucial for local firms to restoretheir business. Over 100 foreigners, mostly from China’s Taiwan, Japan and theRepublic of Korea, have been recently allowed to return to work there.
According to Director of the provincial Department of Health Phan Huy Anh Vu,preparation is underway to welcome 200-300 experts. Three lodging facilitieshave been arranged in Trang Bom and Vinh Cuu districts for medicalquarantine./.