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Hai Duong (VNS/VNA) – Hai Duong province’s management board of industrial zones (IZs) has asked enterprises in the locality to routinely test their employees and managers for COVID-19 .

This is one of the requests set for the enterprises regarding production plans when the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.

According to the management board, factories at IZs in Kim Thanh district can resume work but they must follow the Ministry of Health’s regulations on COVID-19 prevention.

Specifically, test results for all employees at the enterprises must show that they are negative. Enterprises must also regularly clean the environment, disinfect the workplace and dormitories (if any).

All staff must follow the Health Ministry’s 5K message: Khau trang (face mask) – Khu khuan (disinfection) – Khoang cach (distance) – Khong tu tap (no gathering) – Khai bao y te (health declaration).

It is necessary for enterprises to organise the supervision of compliance with pandemic prevention rules.

The enterprises are urged to set up a focus point to contact the Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control of Kim Thanh district when epidemiological factors emerge to coordinate, even when in doubt.

Owners of factories are responsible for COVID-19 prevention and control work at their establishments and take responsibility before the law for the emergence of the pandemic due to subjective factors.

For enterprises with employees who test positive for COVID-19, they are requested to urgently take samples from those who haven’t been tested.

It’s a must for enterprises to make a business plan associated with the prevention and control of the pandemic. Coordination with local authorities to review and thoroughly handle the disease risk factors in businesses or from employees is also included in the plan. They should submit a report to the provincial Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control for approval before resuming operation.

Employees are ordered to sign documents with the local authorities affirming their commitment to COVID-19 safety.

Businesses involved in the trading of infrastructure at industrial zones are responsible for coordinating with relevant agencies to monitor enterprises in IZs to comply with the regulations on pandemic prevention and control.

After 15 days of stringent province-wide lockdown measures, the northern province of Hai Duong will lift some restrictions in certain areas on Wednesday (March 3) as the COVID-19 outbreaks are gradually being brought under control.

It will shift to a new status, both drastically fighting the coronavirus and taking action to carry out socio-economic development tasks, according to a decision made by the Standing Board of the provincial Party Committee at a meeting on March 1.

Since the coronavirus broke out in Hai Duong province on January 27, it has recorded 684 COVID-19 local infections, becoming the largest outbreak in the country.

Hai Duong authorities agreed to divide the localities in the province into two groups under different restrictions depending on the COVID-19 risks.

Four high-risk localities, including Hai Duong city, Kinh Mon township, Cam Giang district and Kim Thanh, will be placed under the Government’s Directive 15, the highest level of social distancing first introduced in March last year when the country entered nationwide lockdown. The remaining eight localities in the province will follow the less restrictive Government’s Directive 19 on social distancing norms.

Hai Duong will continue to halt festivals, religious rituals, sporting events and other unimportant events that require large gatherings in public.

Service venues – retail/wholesale trading shops, shopping malls, markets, supermarkets, hotels, accommodation facilities, etc. – can resume operations, but must observe COVID-19 prevention and control measures.

Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Pham Xuan Thang said that, from March 3, Hai Duong would carry out 10 groups of anti-COVID-19 solutions and five groups of socio-economic development solutions.

As the outbreak may return, the entire local political system would not lower its guard and will remain on alert and be stringent in the fight, he stated./.

VNA

The Hanoitimes – Vietnamese air carriers have listed new domestic airfares which are higher than the fares applied during the social distancing period.

In the midst of the second social distancing period against the Covid-19 pandemic, Vietnamese airlines have quoted new domestic airfares that are three to five times higher than the fares applied since the beginning of the social distancing period, but still remain below the regulated ceiling price.

Source: Vietnam Airlines

Prices on the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route range from VND3.6 million to VND6.7 million for Vietnam Airlines economy class, from VND1.7 million to VND2.9 million for Bamboo Airways’, from VND1.8 million to VND2.1 million for Vietjet Air’s.

Fares of the Ho Chi Minh City – Hanoi route

Airline	Economy class	Business class
Vietnam Airlines	US$152.8	US$284.6
Bamboo Airways	US$72.1 – US$123	US$161.4 – US$271.9
Vietjet Air	US$76.4 – US$89.1	US$89.1

Source: Bamboo Airways

Why high airfares?

The prices of domestic flights vary, depending on the time of purchase, Tran Trung Kien, a Thu Duc district-based ticket agent in Ho Chi Minh City told VnExpress . “Travel demand will increase as the social distancing will soon end and in anticipation of the coming public holidays (Reunification day of April 30 and May Day). Supply shortage drives airfares up,” Kien was quoted as saying.

Some airlines explained that travel demand between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is high even during the time of social distancing. Meanwhile, in compliance with the social distancing measures against Covid-19, flights are operated at half capacity with seating arrangement of just two passengers in one row to ensure a safe distance.

According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh City route has been reopened but operated at the frequency of 5-6% below the pre-pandemic capacity. The agent also told local media that though domestic airfares are rising, they are still below the regulated ceiling.

Nguyen Xuan Thuy, a local transport insider, told Kinh te & Do thi that the airlines have heavily suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic and higher air fares are intended to offset the losses. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic is negatively affecting all people and every industry, “I suggest the transport ministry and airlines explain this increase more reasonably,” he was quoted as saying.

Due to the pandemic, 98% of airplanes have been grounded, local airlines could see a decline in revenue of up to VND65 trillion (US$2.7billion), much higher than the VND30 trillion (US$1.27 billion) previously estimated by the CAAV.

After three weeks of social distancing, domestic airlines have struggled with financial woes, according to Saigon Times . The airlines’ cash flow has been imbalanced in the first four months of this year, which makes it hard for them to recover faster. Cash flow from airfares and fuel cost reduction has not covered the fixed costs of the airlines.

In order for airlines to overcome the crisis, it is necessary to quickly issue policies on exemption and reduction of state-controlled aviation services (plane parking fees and screening fees, among others), environmental protection taxes for shipping companies, including airlines, to lower costs for air carriers, Saigon Times wrote.

In addition, the government should also refund value-added tax (VAT) in 2020 for industries directly affected by the pandemic such as aviation and tourism so that the enterprises can cover their operating costs.

Hanoi (VNA) – Private investments in Vietnam have reached a new peak in contrast to the trend towards decline around the world and in the ASEAN region due to the impact of COVID-19 .

Thanks to its success in containing the pandemic, Vietnam has emerged as a bright spot, with economic growth reaching 2.91 percent in 2020 – a positive rate given the gloomy global picture.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecast that its GDP will grow 6.7 percent this year. Goldman Sachs and HSBC are even more optimistic about the economy, which, they said, will expand 8.1 percent in 2021.

Vietnam’s middle and upper class is expected to grow substantially, from 25 percent of the national population in 2017 to 45 percent in 2030.

Moreover, free trade agreements to which Vietnam is a signatory have benefited the country regarding tariffs and exports, especially smartphones and electronic products, garments and textiles, footwear, and agricultural products.

Adjustments to the Law on Enterprises and the Law on Investment have also played a part in the country’s positive outlook.

In private investment, a total of 59 transactions worth 1.14 billion USD were conducted in 2020, with technology retaining its leading role over the last five years.

Local retail and service firms associated with technological solutions have caught the eye of investors, with notable investments including 100 million USD by Warburg Pincus in Momo e-wallet and the Northstar Group’s 130 million USD in Tiki – one of the three leading e-commerce platforms in the country.

Conglomerate Vingroup posted a record in this regard after GIC injected 500 million USD into Vincommerce in 2019 and KKR funnelled 650 million USD in Temasek and Vinhomes in 2020.

Investments in healthcare have also increased rapidly, as Mekong Capital and VinaCapital have poured 31.8 million USD into Pharmacity and 26.7 million USD into Thu Cuc Hospital, respectively.

Sectors such as transportation, education, healthcare, and technology are expected to become magnets for investors this year./.

VNA