Berita 24 English - European business leaders in Vietnam urge the government to allow private companies to obtain COVID-19 vaccines and vac...
Berita 24 English - European business leaders in Vietnam urge the government to allow private companies to obtain COVID-19 vaccines and vaccinate their own employees as the country battles its largest outbreak since the pandemic began.
"This would alleviate the state budget's burden while also assisting the government's vaccination drive," the European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (EuroCham) said in a statement.
After successfully containing the coronavirus for the majority of last year, Vietnam is now dealing with a new outbreak that is spreading faster, infecting over 3,200 people in 30 of the country's 63 cities and provinces since late April.
The Southeast Asian country, which has 98 million, has administered more than one million doses of COVID-19 vaccine out of 2.9 million received, falling far short of the vaccination rate in some neighbouring countries.
Additionally, EuroCham urged the government to relax quarantine regulations for investors and experts who have been vaccinated in their home countries, the statement stated.
It claimed that the three-week quarantine period currently imposed on foreigners would result in fewer specialists arriving, reducing foreign investment and jeopardizing the operations of businesses that rely on key technicians.
"While Vietnam's borders remain closed, other countries are implementing vaccination campaigns and reopening their borders to the rest of the world," EuroCham Chairman Alain Cany said in a statement.
"Vietnam's vaccination efforts can be accelerated with the assistance of the private sector – including foreign enterprise."
Earlier this week, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi urged Vietnam to shorten the lengthy quarantine period for vaccinated travellers and allow the private sector to assist in vaccine procurement.
Vietnam is preparing a new set of "appropriate and effective" quarantine regulations for people entering the country, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang said Thursday during a media briefing.
On Wednesday, the government also approved a special fund to oversee the vaccination program's operations, which may solicit contributions from private organizations and individuals.
