Chair of National Assembly Vuong Dinh Hue

The master strategy on fighting Covid-19 was discussed at the latest Party Central Committee’s plenum. The National Assembly will continue discussing the issue and come to an agreement on the necessity to reform the way of thinking, said Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

The National Assembly will continue discussing the issue and come to an agreement on the necessity to reform the way of thinking, said Party Committee Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

National Assembly Chair Vuong Dinh Hue on October 21 said voters expect decisions on two important issues – how to prevent and control the pandemic in the time to come and how to recover socio-economic development.

The National Assembly Standing Committee has held meetings and seminars to find the best answers.

Hue repeated Trong’s speech at the fourth plenum that it’s necessary to change the way of thinking and put emphasis on safe, flexible and effective adaptation to the pandemic.

The prerequisites include vaccination coverage, strict application of 5K principles, and application of IT.

Regarding the overall socio-economic recovery and development program, Hue stressed the need to adjust fiscal and monetary policies to serve the program. As it’ll take time for preparation, the issue will not be approved at this session.

“The Standing Committee is considering asking National Assembly Deputies to organize one extraordinary session, possibly in December, to make a decision on the issue,” he said, explaining that it would be too late if waiting until the next regular meeting in May 2022.

He said that preventing and controlling the pandemic and ensuring social security should be seen as a “long-term resistance war”, so it’s necessary to prepare long-term resources.

The older aid packages with total value of VND100 trillion have been implemented well, including the VND38 trillion package from the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

The labor market is one of the sectors most seriously affected by Covid-19. The unemployment rate is the highest in the last 10 years (4.84 percent in cities, 3.04 percent in rural areas).

The pandemic affected only 12.8 million workers in Q2, but the figure rose to 30 million. Of this, 5 percent lost jobs, 32 percent of workers took temporary leave, 50 percent worked in rotation, and 80 percent reported income decreases.

According to the Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA), 2,580 children have become orphaned. Of these, 2,500 children lost either a father or mother, and 80 children lost both parents.

MOLISA Minister Dao Ngoc Dung said some international organizations have registered to sponsor the 80 children. His view is that Vietnam encourages support in kind and money, but doesn’t agree to the organizations’ sponsorship. It’s the country’s responsibility to take care of the orphaned children.

The National Fund for Vietnamese Children will provide support in cash to the children. Those who still have either a father or mother will receive VND5 million each, while others will get VND20 million. 

Thu Hang

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