Inside a Covid-19 field hospital in the southern province of Binh Duong. The HCMC Export Processing Zone and Industrial Park Authority Business Association has sent a proposal to the HCMC government and the relevant agencies to establish field hospitals in industrial parks – PHOTO: VNA

HCMC - The HCMC Export Processing Zone and Industrial Park Authority Business Association (HBA) has proposed the HCMC government and relevant agencies establish field hospitals at industrial parks (IP) to treat Covid-19-infected workers and thus prevent manufacturing disruptions amid the on-going coronavirus outbreak in the city.

According to HBA, nearly half of the companies operating in 17 export processing zones and IPs in the city have been letting their workers stay at their factories after work as of early this month. Nearly 84% of them meet the stay-at-work requirements, while 92 plants are taking additional measures to meet the requirements.

HBA added that the Sepzone-Linh Trung Company, which operates the Linh Trung Export Processing Zones I, II, and III, and some investors have proposed the HCMC Export Processing and Industrial Zones Authority, or HEPZA, allow them to set up field hospitals.

Under the proposal, the firm chose the Linh Trung II Export Processing Zone with an existing 1,800-square-meter workshop along with other equipment contributed by many sources to put up a field hospital.

HBA also proposed local healthcare agencies and hospitals support businesses in terms of medical expertise and techniques to enable each business and each plant to conduct rapid Covid-19 tests for workers. In addition, HBA suggested the city prioritize administering Covid vaccines to workers of the Cat Lai IP, the Cat Lai Port.

As of this morning, August 7, HCMC had had 115,812 locally-infected cases in the fourth wave of Covid-19, which began on April 27.