In SMS, Vietnam PM calls every citizen ‘a soldier’ in COVID-19 fight
Monday, March 23, 2020, 17:50 GMT+7
The Vietnamese government is putting all efforts into curbing the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and one of its latest moves is through text messages.
Since Sunday, many Vietnamese people have expressed their pleasant surprise on social media after receiving a text message sent to their mobile phone number from a sender whose name is displayed as ‘Prime Minister.'
“[From] the government [and] Prime Minister: To prevent and curb COVID-19, citizens are requested to follow the guidance of health authorities,” reads the message in Vietnamese.
“People over 60, please stay home and limit your contact with others.
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| A screenshot shows a COVID-19 prevention message from Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to a citizen. |
“Wear face masks when you go out and wash your hands regularly with soap or sanitizer. Enrich your diet with nutrients and exercise more to improve your health.
“Every citizen is a soldier on the disease prevention battlefront."
A similar message was also published on the verified Facebook account of the Vietnamese government on the same day with a caption that reads, “A message from the prime minister to citizens.”
More than 12,000 hit the ‘like’ button on the post, which received more than 500 comments and was shared over 1,100 times at the time of writing.
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| A screenshot shows the PM's message on the Vietnamese government's verified Facebook account. |
“Thank you to our government for caring about people in this tough time due to the epidemic,” reads one comment.
This is not the first time Vietnamese citizens have received local authorities’ text messages regarding COVID-19 prevention.
Since the first cases of COVID-19 patients were reported in Vietnam in January, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health has regularly sent SMSes to citizens with updated information on the epidemic as well as prevention measures.
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| A screenshot shows a message from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health to a citizen, calling on people to undergo health checks if they have suspicious signs of COVID-19. |
Such official information has also been dispersed via the Vietnamese chat app Zalo.
In addition, to prevent panic buying in Ho Chi Minh City, since March, text messages from the municipal People’s Committee have been sent citizens to inform them that the city will ensure sufficient supply of goods, necessities, and food for people living in the metropolis.
“To avoid crowded places, citizens are asked to consider online shopping a priority,” the administration suggested in one of its messages.
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| A screenshot shows messages from the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee to a citizen, with the first two ensuring sufficiently supply of goods, necessities, and food for people living in the metropolis, while the last calls on people to fill out medical declaration forms. |
Vietnam confirmed its 121th case of COVID-19 infection on Monday afternoon, with 17 patients having walked out of the hospital free of the virus.
No death has been reported in the country so far.
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