Hanoi (VNA) – Party General Secretary and PresidentNguyen Phu Trong chaired the Politburo’s meeting on the COVID-19 combat onMarch 20, saying over-confidence or complacency must be avoided as the pandemic’sdevelopment remains very complex and unpredictable.

The event in Hanoi was attended by PrimeMinister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan,other Politburo members, secretaries of the Party Central Committee, members ofthe national steering committee for COVID-19 prevention and control, andofficials of ministries, sectors and central agencies.

A report at the meeting showed that as of March20 morning, there had been more than 230,000 COVID-19 cases, including over9,000 deaths, in nearly 180 countries and territories. Vietnam had recorded 85infected patients, including 16 who have fully recovered and no deaths.

The Politburo highly valued the work done so farin the COVID-19 prevention and control, noting that the country has kept goodcontrol of the situation and the inflow of people coming from coronavirus-hitareas, organised timely and effective quarantine, early detected infections,and successfully cured 16 patients. Besides, Vietnamese scientists have managedto produce SARS-CoV-2 test kits.

Applauding the accomplishments, Party and Stateleader Nguyen Phu Trong highlighted the timely and drastic leadership anddirection over the fight against the disease, along with the engagement of thewhole political system and all people in the work.

However, the pandemic is forecast to remaincomplex and unpredictable and severely affect people’s health andsocio-economic development, he said, urging the country not to be complacentabout the disease prevention work. He laid stress on measures to localizeoutbreaks and the need to envision the worst scenario in order to prepare thebest response plan.

The leader added that there are also many othertasks that need to be done aside from combating the disease, noting thepandemic’s impact on economy, society, security – defence, diplomacy andtourism.

He underlined that there will be a number ofimportant events in 2020 as Vietnam is holding the ASEAN chairmanship and thetwo-year non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, and all-levelParty congresses will take place.

Therefore, it is necessary to work out long-termsolutions, Trong said, calling for mobilizing the strength of the wholepolitical system and the great national unity bloc along with all resources forstamping out the pandemic in the spirit of “fighting the epidemic like fightingan enemy”.

The top leader also shared other officials’ viewthat apart from dealing with the disease, policies and measures also need to becarried out to minimise the epidemic’s negative impact on the realisation ofsocio-economic targets; recover production, business and tourism; and ensure anormal life for residents in affected areas.

According to him, challenges caused by the COVID-19also provide a chance for economic and business restructuring. In the shortterm, public investment should be promoted to stimulate demand; investment inagriculture and food production increased to ensure food and social security;and difficulties facing businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises,removed./.