Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Tran Van Son speaks at the Government press conference (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - The Government considers the prevention and
control of the COVID-19 pandemic the most important and urgent task at
present, urging ministries, sectors and localities to exert all efforts to
fight the pandemic and ensure sustainable growth.
The statement was made by Minister-Chairman of the
Government Office Tran Van Son while he chaired the Government press conference
announcing the outcomes of the Government’s regular meeting on August 11.
During the meeting, representatives of ministries, sectors
and localities had proposed many urgent solutions to remove difficulties,
control prices, and maintain sustainable growth, stated Son.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasised that as the
actions in this period are decisive, it is necessary to take advantage of the social distancing period currently applied in many pandemic hotspots to carry out appropriate
solutions; continue speeding up the implementation of the vaccine strategy;
step up agricultural production and trade in goods; and prevent production
disruptions, Son added.
According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the
COVID-19 outbreak in July has had a significant impact on all aspects of the
economy, especially in many industrial zones in the southern region. The pandemic
has disrupted production, circulation and sale of goods in these areas.
In addition, domestic purchasing power and exports have decreased
remarkably, and the lives people in quarantine sites, locked-down areas and those
imposing social distancing have been severely affected.
In the first seven months of 2021, the average consumer
price index increased by 1.64 percent year-on-year, the lowest growth rate
since 2016. Index of industrial production rose by 7.9 percent over the same
period last year. Total import and export turnover reached more than 373
billion USD, in which export turnover was valued at over 185 billion USD, up
25.5 percent year-on-year./.