Businesses let F0, F1 go to work: Must be safe

Working while isolating in place

Due to contact with F0, Ms. Vo Thi Hong (worker of Printing Joint Stock Company No. 7 Tan Tao Industrial Park, Binh Tan District, Ho Chi Minh City) actively self-isolates, monitors her health and always keeps her distance from people while working. .

“It has been more than 5 days since coming into contact with a case of COVID-19, I would like to stay at the company to limit contact with people around but still ensure my job. After a period of retesting, it was still negative, so I could go back to my family with peace of mind, “said Ms. Hong.

Mr. Tran Anh Tuan, Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Vietnam Institute of Training and Human Resource Development, commented that it is entirely possible for F0 and F1s with stable health to go to work. Creating favorable conditions for F0 and F1 to go to work also helps employees choose working opportunities, keep their spirits at ease, and reduce guilt; help enterprises have a stable labor source for production.

For a long time, Printing Joint Stock Company No. 7 still allows F1 workers to work directly with the condition that they comply with epidemic prevention conditions. Mr. Truong Hoang Tam, Chairman of the Trade Union, said that the company arranged a dedicated area for F0 and F1 for employees to stay in the enterprise.

“Many F0 and F1 workers are worried about the hostels that will infect their relatives, so the Trade Union and the Company’s Youth Union propose to implement an isolation program at enterprises.”

The place of treatment for F0, isolating F1 is fully equipped with beds, mats, blankets, fans, hot and cold water machines, hand sanitizer, antibacterial soap, SpO2 meter, body temperature monitor, medicine for treatment… . Employees who are F0 with mild symptoms or no symptoms, if they need to be isolated, will be arranged at the company. The company also signed a contract with an international polyclinic to examine and advise employees.

This unit still maintains rapid testing and screening every week to detect COVID-19 cases early to minimize the spread of disease in the community. The company also arranges a disinfecting machine in front of the company, employees comply with 5K, when having suspicious symptoms, they should go to the company’s medical room for immediate examination.

According to Deputy Director of the Center for Disease Control of Ho Chi Minh City (HCDC) Nguyen Hong Tam, nearly all enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City, the vaccination rate is over 85%. Therefore, most of the F1 employees in the area were able to go to work right away. Of course, subjects must strictly follow the 5K rule, especially masks and disinfection. Up to now, F0 workers in the area still need to strictly comply with the Ministry of Health’s regulations on isolation from 7 to 14 days.

3D Hub Global Company (Tan Phu District) also set up a separate living area for F1 to maintain production. Ms. Ly Thanh Phong, CEO said: “Since Ho Chi Minh City reopened, the company has still detected many cases of F0 and F1. But because they have been fully vaccinated, F0 all have mild symptoms, rest for 5-7 days and most of them have negative tests. In order not to affect production, the company let F1 work in a separate area so as not to affect the factory.

VAM Furniture Wood Co., Ltd (Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai Province) has 250 employees, but about 50% of the officers and employees have been infected with COVID-19, especially recently, the number of infections has increased rapidly. In order not to lack labor and ensure production, VAM still arranges F1 to work with strict management.

“The reality is that there are many cases of COVID-19 with mild symptoms or no symptoms. Because there is no longer epidemiological investigation and contact tracing, the distinction between F0 and F1 currently does not make much sense.

When the epidemic is no longer too dangerous and the rate of COVID-19 infection in the community is high, we should only care and separate the right patient (F0) from the community. For those who are in close contact with F0, we should let them continue to work to ensure stable life as well as production and business activities.

Thus, allowing F1 to work is not only solving problems for production but also an inevitable trend in the current context”, said Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tuan, Director of VAM Furniture Company.

Do not neglect epidemic prevention and control

Sharing with the reporter of Tien Phong newspaper, Mr. Truong Chi Thien – General Director of Vinh Thanh Dat Food Joint Stock Company (V.Food) affirmed: “F1 can still go to work, but with F0, we encourage staying at home. The company has a full salary and allowance policy for F0 cases. Moreover, when F0 self-isolates at home, they make medical declarations to the locality and receive medical support, and most importantly, limit the spread of disease in the community.

To ensure production safety during the period when there are many cases in the community, V.Food still maintains distance. In addition to masks, employees use droplet shields, regularly spray and disinfect to limit minimize the spread of disease.

“Currently, the driver, delivery department … is more expensive than the staff at the factory. We are still continuously recruiting workers to make up for the number of employees who are absent from work as well as for medical treatment,” added Mr. Thien.

Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Chairman of the trade union of Dai Dung Trading Construction Mechanical Joint Stock Company (An Ha Industrial Park, Binh Chanh District) said that since Tet, the status of workers infected with COVID-19 because of the new strain Omicron has a positive trend. upward direction. More than 1,000 employees at enterprises are tested quickly every week; If F0 is detected, they will be dismissed and the company will provide medicine according to the instructions of the health authorities, especially the employees who are F1, if the test is negative, they can still work normally.

“I think that F1 workers need to go to work to ensure the workforce because businesses are currently short of workers. If a person F0, all the people around are F1 have to be isolated, DN does not know how to manage. In my opinion, F1 should be arranged to work normally but be regularly monitored for health and take measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when working at the factory, “said Mr. Hung.

Regarding letting F0 go to work, Mr. Truong Hoang Tam said that, for managers, office blocks, etc., F0 can still work online, but it is more difficult for direct production because it involves Regarding the conditions of each unit, it is not easy to arrange a separate area for F0 to work, not to mention affecting the psychology of others.

“For asymptomatic F0 in the direct production block, the company allows 5 days of rest, after having a negative test result, they will return to work”, Mr. Tam said.

Recently, the Association of Industrial Park Enterprises in Ho Chi Minh City (HBA) has written a petition to the Ministry of Health for F1 that workers can go to work, even F0 without symptoms can still come to the factory to work.

Mr. Nguyen Van Be, Chairman of HBA, said that in case workers are identified as F0 at the factory, there is a risk that those production groups or production lines will be in F1 category. If F1 stops working, the factory will have no workers while businesses currently have a very serious shortage of workers.

Since then, HBA recommends that when having F0 at the motel or at the factory, subjects at risk of F1 only need to do 5K, notify the responsible health agency and notify the DN. Rapid test results are negative, workers are still allowed to go to work but must stay in production positions with a distance of more than 2m from person to person. After 5 days, F1 workers still negative can return to normal work.

According to Uyen Phuong