PM expects media to transmit 'positive energy' in society in favor of post-Coronavirus recovery

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc addresses conference on reviewing the work of information and communications on COVID-19 in Ha Noi on June 16, 2020. Photo: VGP

The Government chief emphasized the point at a conference on reviewing the work of information and communications on COVID-19 in Ha Noi on Tuesday.

Phuc highlighted the important and multi-faceted contributions of media to the overall outcomes of the COVID-19 fight, saying that it has produced pratical works to mark the 95^th anniversary of the Vietnamese Revolutionary Press Day.

Since the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government introduced clear-cut attitude “fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy” or s"acrificing short-term economic intersts to protect people’s health” to guide the COVID-19 fight.

As of 6:10 pm on June 16, Viet Nam has gone 61 consecutive days without new COVID-19 community infection and the nation’s patient tally was relatively low (334 including 325 recovered cases).  

Viet Nam was the first country in the world to apply mandatory health declaration for all incoming travellers and also one of the first few countries to embark on a “new normal” situation.

According to a report by the CPVCC Central Commission on Propagation and Education, the COVID-19 information and communication work has been implemented in various forms like SMS, social media, nationwide public loudspeaker system, and direct community-based communication among others.

The CPVCC Central Commission on Propagation and Education’s survey showed that 84% of the respondents said the information and communication work has helped improve people’s awareness.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Communications reported press agencies published more than 560,000 articles on the COVID-19 fight between February 1 and May 31.

In addition, about 15 billion text messages were sent to individual cell phones since February 3, making cell phones an important communication tool in this fight, according to the Telecommunication Department under the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The country’s success has been widely recognized by the international community thanks to its activeness in cooperation and transparency, said Le Manh Hung, Deputy head of the CPVCC Central Commission on Propagation and Education.

Many foreign nationals, especially those who underwent centralized quarantine or were treated in Viet Nam, expressed thanks to the nation with their highest respect./.

By Quang Minh