This outbreak first appeared in Phuong Son commune (Luc Nam district) because case F0 was infected from the outbreak of K Hospital at Tan Trieu campus (Hanoi); immediately the province activated the epidemic prevention and control system at the highest level.

Next, case F0 was detected at Shin Young Vietnam Co., Ltd (Van Trung Industrial Park, Viet Yen district) due to infection from the outbreak of the Central Tropical Hospital with the number of F0 and F1 cases increasing rapidly and the province assessed this was a dangerous epidemic hotbed with a high risk of transmission and difficulty to control.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hands over funds from the Central Relief Committee to support Bac Giang province in the fight against the Covid-19 epidemic.

Facing that situation, the province has always received the attention and direction of the Party Central Committee, the Government, the Prime Minister, ministries and central agencies. Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control and Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long regularly meet online with Bac Giang for timely direction.

The Ministry of Health has set up a standing team led by Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son and a team of experts from the Ministry of Health stationed in Bac Giang to jointly organize epidemic suppression.

With the spirit of "fighting the epidemic like fighting the enemy", Bac Giang's anti-epidemic front has always been in a state of "boiling water", quickly tracing and zoning out the epidemic. The officials of the standing committee of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, People's Committee, Provincial Fatherland Front Committee always closely and firmly grasp the situation; meetings take place even at night, online meetings are regularly held at 3 levels (province, district, commune) to come up with effective, correct and direct measures.

Many leaders, from the province to the grassroots, have overnight gone to the checkpoints and medical facilities to check and encourage the forces participating in epidemic prevention and control.

Photo 1: Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, Head of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, regularly directs epidemic prevention and control in Bac Giang province.

Photo 2: Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Duong Van Thai inspects the epidemic prevention and control at the isolation area of Yen Dung district located at Tu Mai Primary School.

Photo 3: Minister of Health Nguyen Thang Long and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Anh Duong inspect the epidemic prevention and control in industrial parks.

The call on joining hands in epidemic prevention and control of the Standing comrades of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Fatherland Front has been responded to by officials, party members, people and businesses not only in the province but everywhere.

Ministries and central branches, especially the Ministries of National Defense, Public Security, Health, Information and Communications, immediately provided human resources, funds, means and equipment for epidemic prevention and control, and established a field hospital to treat patients in Bac Giang.

The provinces of Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Thai Nguyen, Yen Bai, and Hanoi have supported the funding and sent delegations of medical staff to support Bac Giang. There are pictures of raised arms marching into the epidemic area or medical delegations just arriving in Bac Giang immediately rushing into the epidemic hotbed and taken samples all night...

Those righteous and sincere images made everyone in Bac Giang tear up with emotion. The image of Lieutenant Tong Ngoc Kien, traffic police, Yen Dung district police raising his hand when he saw the convoy carrying medical staff in Quang Ninh to support Bac Giang has captivated netizens because it shows the sincere gratitude of Bac Giang people to the "white shirt soldiers" on the front lines against the epidemic.

Photo 1: Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son inspects the preparation area for the construction of a field hospital at the Provincial Sports Stadium.

Photo 2: Medical staff take testing samples for people through the night. Photo 3: Taking testing samples for workers at Quang Chau Industrial Park.

From the epicenter of the outbreak in Bac Giang, many other touching stories are being written every day and every hour from simple but noble people. It's about the second and third "Doan Ngoc Hai" such as Do Tuan Kien and Pham Phuc Duc. Coming from a hospital serving revolution contributors 27/7 (Hanoi), they have been sending dedicated ambulances on duty 24/24 hours for many days to transport F0 and F1 cases in Viet Yen district to the quarantine and treatment place. Do Tuan Kien also asked his partner, Dang Minh Tri, to drive an ambulance through the night over a 500 km journey from Quang Binh to join the Bac Giang medical force against the epidemic.

Workers of Quang Chau Industrial Park sit distantly to wait for taking testing samples.

"Full stomach, strong soldiers", the fight against the Covid-19 enemy is unpredictable and needs immediate logistical support. Responding to the call of the provincial Fatherland Front, localities, agencies, business units, benefactors inside and outside the province have supported funds, medical facilities and equipment for epidemic prevention and control valued hundreds of billions dong.

In addition, organizations and individuals are still daily donating tens of tons of food to be put into "zero dong supermarkets" in communes and towns to support tens of thousands of workers, people in isolation and blockade areas.

There are many different forms of contributions. From little to big, the teachers, the sisters of the Quan Ho club in Viet Yen district and the parents of the students have contributed their efforts and a little money to make each meal and drink "as delicious as home rice" to hand over the frontline force.

Officials and employees of the Vietnam - Russia Tropical Center are racing against time to test Covid-19 to serve the work of tracing and zoning out the epidemic.

This outbreak of Covid-19 epidemic coincides with the occasion when voters in Bac Giang and the whole country exercise their rights and responsibilities with the ballot to elect their representatives to the XV National Assembly and People's Councils at all levels for the term of 2021-2016.

Sharing with Bac Giang who is most affected by the Covid-19 epidemic, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visited, encouraged and donated VND 10 billion from the national relief fund, 20 ventilators and 350,000 medical masks for the epidemic prevention and control.

We were touched when we were praised by the National Assembly Chairman, noting that Bac Giang had overcome difficulties to be one of the best election-organizing localities. The encouragement of the National Assembly Chairman, the attention of the whole country is pouring strength into Bac Giang to fight the epidemic as if it gives strength and is the motivation for us to persevere and overcome difficulties.

Due to the requirements of the mission and to prevent and control the epidemic, even though her father died, a female employee at the field hospital, Bac Giang Traditional Medicine Hospital could not return to mourn. The nurses, doctors and medical staff observed a minute of silence for the family member of the staff on duty.

Determined to successfully implement the "dual goals"

Having gone through 3 waves of Covid-19 epidemic, thanks to good management and supervision and people's awareness, in the province, there were only a few cases and they were successfully controlled for life to return the new normal state. But this outbreak happened in the industrial parks with many large factories participating in the global supply chain. Hundreds of thousands of workers come from 57 provinces and cities nationwide.

Photo 1: Disinfectant spray at the isolation area of Dinh Ke Primary School (Bac Giang City).

Photo 2: Officers and soldiers of the Mobile Police Command (Ministry of Public Security) left for Bac Giang to support the epidemic prevention and control.

Photo 3: The chemical defense force of Military Zone 1 sprays disinfectant at Quang Chau Industrial Park.

Therefore, calculating the time to suspend the operation of industrial parks is a very difficult and carefully considered decision of the leaders of Bac Giang province. The epidemic is suppressed by strong measures which cannot be hastily imposed and which must be applied at the right time.

Before coming to the decision to suspend the operation of 4 out of 6 industrial parks, the province had a meeting with businesses, informed them about the complicated developments of the epidemic and discussed solutions. The duration of the suspension depends on the progress of the epidemic control but it will not last too long, affecting the production of enterprises.

Only when nearly 140,000 workers were tested, screened for nCoV infections, sent for treatment, close contacts were quarantined and those with negative results were sent back to their places of residence, temporarily isolated at home, controlled by the government, not allowing workers to return to their hometown, then the province suspended the operation of 4 industrial parks including Quang Chau, Van Trung, Dinh Tram, Song Khe - Noi Hoang.

Photo 1: Traffic police force (provincial police) divides traffic lanes on the Hanoi-Bac Giang Expressway to serve the social isolation of Viet Yen district. Photo 2: Provincial police officers and soldiers on duty at disease control checkpoints.

It must be carefully considered because if Bac Giang closes soon, tens of thousands of workers may rush home without being tested or screened, the risk of an outbreak for other provinces and cities is even greater. That means the province takes risks because of the safety for the whole country.

When calling on the number of workers outside the province not to return to their hometown and implement social isolation according to Directive 16, Bac Giang faced another difficulty in urgently finding measures to support workers who are stuck in their motels. The province has set up a Working Life Support Team to review and mobilize resources so that no workers in quarantined and blocked areas are starving.

After a lot of quick efforts, tracing and zoning out the epidemic area, the epidemic situation in the province is still very complicated. From the initial 3 infections so far, the province has recorded nearly 1,500 Covid-19 infections and tens of thousands of F1 cases have been quarantined; The sample taking and epidemic zoning out are still being carried out urgently, and the field hospitals have been completed to ensure patient treatment.

People and workers come to receive essentials at the "0-dong Supermarket".

Along with the task of epidemic prevention and control, Bac Giang is entering the lychee harvest with an output of about 200,000 tons. Although the lychee consumption scenario has been developed in the context of complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, it is extremely difficult to consume such a large amount of lychee in such a short time. Along with that, the work of ensuring social security for workers, laborers and people in epidemic areas is also a very urgent task.

From the above fact, the provincial leaders called on the whole political system in the province to make more efforts and determination to well perform the "dual task" of urgently stamping out the epidemic while protecting production and ensuring social safety.

In order to join hands in epidemic prevention and control, each Bac Giang citizen needs to be responsible first to himself and his relatives, then to the country and to the community. “Not being subjective but also not worrying too much”, each person must absolutely adhere to the 5K message (Masks - Disinfection - Distance - Do not gather - Medical declaration), especially masks; update medical information, verify the possibility of infection (F1,F2,F3) of yourself and your family to declare immediately when there is a risk.

With the spirit of "every citizen is a soldier, every family is a fortress to prevent and control the epidemic", joining hands with "soldiers" who are working day and night on the front lines, we will definitely win the fight against Covid-19.

That shows our gratitude for the attention and guidance of the leaders of the Party and State, the support of ministries, central branches, provinces and cities for Bac Giang to fight the epidemic and develop socio-economic development.

More than ever, the entire political system, the entire people and business community in Bac Giang province need to work together and unite to overcome difficulties and be determined to successfully carry out the set tasks.

(Theo Báo Bắc Giang - Vân Nguyễn dịch)