HANOI – Vietnam plans to ease coronavirus curbs and allow businesses to restart production from next week to prop up an economy that has suffered under lengthy lockdowns, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh yesterday.
The country, which until late April had maintained one of the world’s best containment records, is seeking to coexist with the coronavirus instead of trying to maintain a “Covid-zero” policy.
The current outbreak and related restrictions on movement have impacted its manufacturing-led economy, forcing the closure of some factories.
“Around September 30, safe localities can ease Covid-19 restrictions and revive business and social activities,” Chinh told a government meeting.
“Fighting the pandemic is not just setting up physical barriers and restrictions,” he said, adding that the health crisis is now more or less under control.
The decision comes as Vietnam records a drop in its daily virus death rate. It reported 9,682 new infections yesterday, marking the third consecutive day of cases below the 10,000 mark.
The country has recorded over 746,600 cases in total, with 18,400 fatalities.
Foreign investors have warned the government that its strict lockdown rules in the south have forced some companies to move production elsewhere.
Vietnam’s gross domestic product may grow between 3.5% and 4.0% this year, well below the government’s earlier target of 6.5%, Planning and Investment Minister Nguyen Chi Dung was cited by state media as saying.
The nation, with a population of 98 million, is accelerating its vaccination programme. Although daily inoculations have reached 700,000, Vietnam’s vaccination rate of 7.61% is one of the region’s lowest. – Reuters, September 26, 2021
