Regional solidarity key to cope with COVID-19: experts
Regional solidarity among ASEAN members is key to effective COVID-19 response, said Nehginpao Kipgen - Executive Director at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) - and Aakriti Bansal, a research assistant at the centre, in a recent article posted on Thailand’s Bangkok Post.
The article has praised Vietnam as a low-cost effective COVID-19 response. (Photo: VNA)
Bangkok (VNA) – Regional solidarityamong ASEAN members is key to effective COVID-19 response, said NehginpaoKipgen - Executive Director at the Centre for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) -and Aakriti Bansal, a research assistant at the centre, in a recent articleposted on Thailand’s Bangkok Post.
The writers said the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) has not faced anything like COVID-19 in the recent past.
“The optimal way for ASEAN to deal with thepandemic is to stand united and come together as a region,” they wrote.
The article highlighted the holding of a specialASEAN Plus Three Summit on April 14 as one great leap forward for the region,which included the 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan and the Republic ofKorea.
Vietnam has since extended some support in theform of medical equipment, which included specialised protective clothing,medical masks, testing systems, and test kits worth 304,000 USD to Laos andCambodia, the article said, praising Vietnam as a successful low-cost model forcontaining the outbreak.
The article went on that Vietnam’s low-costmodel focuses on selective but proactive prevention because of a lack ofresources and has been largely effective thus far.
“Other ASEAN member states should attempt toimplement this low-cost model, as the method has worked for Vietnam with adecline in the number of cases,” it went on.
The article also suggested ASEAN conduct moretests and identify as many cases as they can within their borders, as well as respondcollectively and proactively as a bloc through coordination, comprehensiveness,information sharing, and effective policy-making, while developingcost-effective models like making cheaper test kits to flatten the curve./.
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The article has praised Vietnam as a low-cost effective COVID-19 response. (Photo: VNA) 
