Read what is in the news today:

Politics

-- Drastic actions must be taken to fight the acute respiratory disease caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), but they must not affect the country’s socio-economic development, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at the government’s regular meeting for January in Hanoi on Wednesday.

Society

-- All patients suspected to have contracted the 2019-nCoV and who need to be placed in quarantine will not have to pay medical fees when they receive treatment at public hospitals, the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) and the Vietnamese Ministry of Health have announced.

-- Water in the largest manmade freshwater storage in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta that was built at a cost of VND85 billion (US$3.6 million) to supply water to more than 200,000 people living in 24 communes and towns in Ba Tri District, Ben Tre Province, has been contaminated by saltwater intrusion.

-- Transport authorities in Ho Chi Minh City plan to open the construction site of Metro Line No. 1, which connects the downtown area with District 9 in the city’s eastern part, to visitors in June 2020.

Business

-- Up to 66 trucks carrying goods exported to China underwent customs clearance at Huu Nghi International Border Gate in the northern border province of Lang Son on Wednesday, after a suspension due to the 2019-nCoV outbreak.

-- Many enterprises in the Vietnam Leather, Footwear and Handbag Association (LEFASO) have expressed concerns over the possible stagnation of production by mid-March as they face a serious shortage of material supplies due to transport bans amidst the 2019-nCoV outbreak.

Education

-- Minister and Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung said at a regular press conference in Hanoi on Wednesday that K-12 students can be allowed to stay home for one or two more weeks to prevent the possible spread of the 2019-nCoV.

Sports

-- The Vietnamese national women’s football team are ready to face Myanmar in the Tokyo Olympics 2020’s third qualifying round in South Korea at 5:00 pm on Thursday.

World News

-- Over 28,200 people have been infected with 2019-nCoV globally as of Wednesday, as the virus has caused 563 deaths in mainland China, one death in the Philippines, and another in Hong Kong.

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