The suggestion was made by Mr. Pham Anh Tuan, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, suggested at a meeting with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) on July 27.

The meeting was held in light of the latest resurgence of Covid-19 currently leaving a negative impact on daily activities and disrupting the supply chain of essential goods, reported Thanh Nien newspaper.

Tuan said that continuing delivery services could help ensure the implementation of the dual task of fighting the coronavirus and achieving economic growth.

Besides, he requested that MOIT coordinate with and create favorable conditions for postal service providers to get involved in the transportation and delivery of goods, especially giving priority to essential commodities.

In addition, he suggested the two ministries jointly make arrangements for agricultural production households to sell their products on ecommerce platforms, aimed at promoting the digital transformation of agricultural and rural areas.

In response to the suggestions of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Do Thang Hai, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said that amid the complicated development of the pandemic, the MOIT had directed the relevant agencies to team up with localities and businesses to ensure the adequate supply of goods, especially necessities, and facilitate the consumption of agricultural products. Also, the MOIT had issued many documents to remove bottlenecks in the transport of goods.

However, up to now, the implementation of the shelter-in-place order in many localities has yet to be on par with the Government’s directions, resulting in disruptions in the flow of goods.

Deputy Minister Hai stressed that the MOIT highly approved of the suggestion on maintaining the operations of delivery drivers. However, to maintain delivery services, the ministry needs the cooperation of ecommerce platform operators, manufacturers and businesses to work out the total number of delivery drivers of each unit, so that the competent forces can map out a plan to prioritize vaccinating them to ensure Covid-19 safety.

As for the suggestion on making arrangements for agricultural production households to sell their products on ecommerce platforms, Hai said that enhancing online trading activities is the most effective measure during the pandemic to ensure the stable supply of goods.

The MOIT asked its subordinate agencies to join hands with the agencies of the Ministry of Information and Communications to reach a consensus on plans to supply goods to virus-hit localities and support local farmers to sell their products on ecommerce platforms.

The two ministries also need to coordinate with the Transport Ministry to create optimal conditions for ecommerce platforms to offer their products to coronavirus hotspots and localities following the stay-at-home order. SGT

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