It has asked production units and enterprises participating in the city’s price
stabilisation programme and distribution systems to ensure timely, adequate and
continuous supply of goods.
They have been instructed to ensure supply is 30-40 percent higher than during
normal periods and be ready to promptly ship goods to price-stabilised and other
retail stores.
They also need to prepare raw materials to increase supply by 50-100 percent if
necessary.
It has urged retailers to promote sales online and via telephone.
Nguyen Huynh Trang, its deputy director, said in the worst-case scenario of
COVID-19 spreading in the community, her department would implement measures to
help enterprises stockpile goods and raw materials and ensure production and
supply are not interrupted.
The city plans to restrict the export of raw materials required for producing
food and products for prevention and control of the pandemic as well as the
finished products, she said.
"Face mask manufacturers and distributors in HCM City have stepped up the
production and supply to meet consumer demand. Co.opmart, Vinmart, Lotte Mart,
Satra, and Big C supermarket chains have been providing a variety of
antibacterial cloth masks.”
The department also has specific plans for supply of food to quarantine areas in
three scenarios: the numbers of COVID-19 patients are 100, 300 and 500 and the
numbers of isolated people are 10,000, 20,000 and 40,000.
It has estimated the quantity of vegetables, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, rice and
bottled water required in each scenario so that it can secure supply.
It and the Department of Health are responsible for providing food and other
basic necessities to people in quarantine areas.
Together with the city market management sub-department, it will strengthen
inspection to prevent speculation and price gouging.
Nguyen Anh Duc, deputy director of Saigon Co.op, said its supermarkets have
stocked a large volume of goods to ensure supply and offered discounts on many
products at their more than 800 stores nation-wide.
Source: VNA