maintain the same debt group in order to support bank clients negatively affected by Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the conclusion of yesterday’s conference ‘HCMC accompanies Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) businesses to address trouble and resume manufacturing, trading activities during the Covid-19 pandemic’, held by HCMC People’s Committee with the participation of Secretary of HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen and other city leaders.

Leaders of HCMC are attending the conference. (Photo: SGGP)

In the opening speech, Vice Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Vo Van Hoan admitted that HCMC is facing grave difficulties in all aspects due to the latest Covid-19 outbreak. Statistics from the General Statistics Office reveal that HCMC’s GRDP growth is predicted to decrease by 2.8 percent compared to this time last year (an increase of 1.39 percent), and there is a high chance the city cannot meet the planned goal of 6 percent this year.

All economic sectors from industry, construction, service, to agriculture of the city are severely affected and some can even witness a dive of 5 percent compared to last year. Activities of businesses, especially FDI ones, have encountered much trouble, leading to thousands of companies temporarily halting their operation and hundreds of thousands of laborers losing their job. Eventually, the risk of breaking the supply chain and inability to export products has become higher than ever.

Despite a large quantity of new Covid-19 patients detected each day, the municipal authorities and businesses sited in HCMC, including FDI ones, still try their best to maintain operation while observing Covid-19 prevention and control methods so that the outbreak is put under control by September 15 and the economy does not turn to be too vulnerable.

Representative of American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham Vietnam) committed that over 500 partners and 2,000 commercial representatives from the US are going to cooperate with the Vietnamese Government in Covid-19 prevention and control tasks while in operation to help the city’s economy recover.

He informed thatAmCham Vietnam has ofered HCMC medical equipment support worth US$1.15 million and will continue to do so in the near future.

Secretary of HCMC Party Committee Nguyen Van Nen (R) discusses matters with conference participants. (Photo: SGGP)

All six FDI associations commented that the ‘3 on-site’ model presents certain inadequacies, and should not be used for a long time. Therefore, they proposed to allow laborers to take turn working, with PCR tests done before each shift enters a manufacturing plant. They also suggested the Government permit private medical units to carry out the vaccination and Covid-19 test processes for any businesses in need.

Representative of European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) recommended that Quick Covid-19 tests should be done to screen workers before letting them safely return to their accommodation. When back to their home, these employees should self-quarantine. In addition, the policy for standards and the validity of a Covid-19 test result in HCMC must be consistent with the one in other provinces.

Director of External Relations of Intel Products Vietnam Ho Thi Thu Uyen said that it is necessary to give the second vaccine shots to laborers in Saigon High-tech Park as soon as possible to gain herd immunity, and thus the productivity can reach 100 percent to compensate for the loss of the previous months.

She added that HCMC should allow workers being vaccinated one time and living in green safe zones to follow the ‘2 on-site’ model, meaning a commitment to strictly observe the 5K rules and other Covid-19 prevention and control regulations when they travel to and fro working sites from their home via shuttle service. These people and their family members will have regular Covid-19 tests. This method both reduces overhead costs of companies and maintains laborers’ mental health.

In the ending speech, Chairman of HCMC People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Phong thanked all useful proposals of participants and presented solutions that the municipal authorities are considering to address current issues.

Regarding the ‘3 on-site’ and ‘1 route – 2 terminals’ models, there are four possible alternatives to for businesses select during the social distance period in HCMC:

_Alternative 1: maintaining the ‘3 on-site’ model or applying the ‘3 on-site shift taking’ model (each shift takes turn to follow the working on site – eating on site – resting on site model)

_Alternative 2: maintain the ‘1 route – 2 terminals’ model or applying the extended ‘1 route – 2 terminals’ model (companies organize many centralized dormitories in various locations in the city and use shuttle service for their workers)

_Alternative 3: applying the ‘4 green/safe’ model (green laborers travel on green routes by private vehicles between green accommodations and green working sites). These laborers are not allowed to stop midway or go past risky zones.

_Alternative 4: flexibly combining the three alternatives above

Chairman Phong also informed that in the upcoming time, HCMC is going to adopt a series of credit support measures such as restructuring debt repayment terms with reduction or exemption in interest and fees, maintain the same debt group in order to support bank clients negatively affected by Covid-19 pandemic.

The city is going to adopt the policy to allow businesses to get loans at 0 percent interest rate, without having to secure these loans, in order to pay salary for laborers having to stop working due to the Covid-19 pandemic in accordance with Resolution No.68/NQ-CP by the Government.

Finally, HCMC is preparing standards and regulations for manufacturing and trading activities to ensure businesses can resume their normal operation and observe Covid-19 prevention and control measures at the same time.

Source: SGGP

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