People infected or suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus are not properly cared for and are rather seen as “pathogens.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
24 JULY 2021
Contact: Duy Hoang | +1 202-596-7951

VIET TAN’S POSITION ON FIGHTING COVID-19 IN VIETNAM

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic in Vietnam growing increasingly serious, the Vietnamese government continues to ignore the mistakes they have made without making appropriate adjustments.

People infected or suspected of being infected with the novel coronavirus are not properly cared for and are rather seen as “pathogens.” Citizens were taken away and locked in concentrated isolation areas or barricaded inside their house. This is not only inhumane behavior, but it also creates a higher risk for infection.

The inadequacy and arbitrariness of Directive 16 on “social distancing” causes many difficulties for people, from food insecurity, to instability with work, business, and travel. In recent years, people have mobilized their own resources to support each other. The government does not have significant support for people and businesses affected by the pandemic.

For more than a year, the Vietnamese government has not been worried about ordering COVID-19 vaccines like other governments around the world. Senior officials seemed more worried about jockeying for positions at the 13th Party Congress. The vaccination rate in Vietnam is currently the lowest in ASEAN.

To address the health crisis and economic hardship of the COVID-19 pandemic, Viet Tan affirms the following:

1. Vietnamese authorities need to consult medical experts and adjust their health measures in light of the worsening situation. Importantly, the government must quickly obtain enough COVID-19 vaccines and undertake a transparent and equitable vaccination campaign based on science.
2. The state needs to immediately reduce electricity and gas prices while distributing financial support packages to the poor, who have been most affected by the pandemic.
3. Efforts to help the poor from domestic and outside civil society organizations should be further promoted in safe conditions.

Popular anger over the government’s stance that “bread is not food” and officials jumping the line on vaccinations represent the demands of the people calling on the state to change their current pandemic policies. The Vietnamese authorities cannot ignore the voice of the people any longer, otherwise the country will be further damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.