HCMC police take the lead in the fight against COVID-19

Completing dual tasks of controlling the pandemic and supporting local people

Over the past days, the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Police Department and the HCMC Military Command have launched a joint plan to check the observance of social distancing regulations in the city.

In particular, the joint force at all levels are assigned to patrol, detect, check and handle violations of the social distancing measures in the city, while boosting information dissemination about COVID-19, and mobilizing the locals to strictly observe COVID-19 prevention and control regulations.

Subordinated units and union organizations of the HCMC Police Department also mobilized people to support necessities and equipment for frontline health workers and people facing difficulties during the pandemic. 

In recent weeks, the HCMC police presented many medical supplies and necessities, including hundreds of tons of rice and vegetables, fresh water, milk, medical masks, medical gloves, face shields to the COVID-19 frontline forces.

The local police forces also delivered necessities and foods to households in isolated areas who are facing many difficulties.

In addition, the trade union, women union and youth union of the HCMC police also advised the city’s police leadership on a plan to receive goods and necessities from the police units and localities in the South, Central and Central Highlands regions as well as kind donors.

The goods were then be distributed to local charity kitchens, concentrated quarantine zones, locked down areas, local hospitals, and quarantine zones for COVID-suspected police officers as well as soldiers, and COVID-19 checkpoints and local residential areas.

Police mobilize people to strictly observe the social distancing regulations:

In the first days of implementing a lockdown after 6pm to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic in HCMC, many patrol groups and COVID-19 checkpoints jointly run by the police, army and civil guard forces worked in shifts around the clock.

At 9 pm on July 27, on Dinh Bo Linh street, the COVID-19 inspection team of the HCMC police detected Mr. G (residing in Binh Thanh District) riding a motorbike without wearing helmet. The team stopped him. As he could not give a rational reason for going out so the team fined the man for violating the lockdown regulations.

At the COVID-19 checkpoint on Hoang Minh Giam Street, Phu Nhuan District, many ride-hailing drivers were fined for delivering goods in contravention of social distancing regulations.

According to Mr. Nguyen Khac Nguyen, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Ward 13, Tan Binh District, local people basically abided by the social distancing measures to prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, some people were not well aware of the regulations or intentionally violated them. Such cases would be strictly handled by the COVID-19 checkpoint teams according to the laws.