Caring for children affected by the Covid-19 epidemic

– Action Month for Children 2021 has the theme “Joining hands to ensure the implementation of children’s rights, protecting children during natural disasters and epidemics”. This is a right topic when the current Covid-19 epidemic in our country is developing complicatedly. Therefore, Action Month will contribute to raising awareness about children’s rights, protecting and caring for children during the pandemic; and support children affected by Covid-19. Accordingly, currently, provinces and cities, including Lang Son, have been actively implementing this work.

Amid the complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, in May 2021, many localities have allowed students to take a break from school and study online at home, even have early summer vacation. The number of children who have to be under concentrated quarantine and home quarantine continues to increase, many of whom live far from their parents and family for the first time. In addition to the risk of infection, they are also at high risk of trauma and psychological crisis.

The youth of Na Sam township, Van Lang district gave gifts to children being treated in quarantine areas in the district

Facing that situation, on May 29, 2021, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issued Decision 623/QĐ-LDTBXH on providing support for children infected with Covid-19 and children having to be under concentrated quarantine to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic. Accordingly, the Vietnam Children Support Fund has decided to support meals for all children from 0 to 16 years old who are undergoing treatment and concentrated medical quarantine. According to the decision of the competent authority, the support level is 80,000 VND/day/child for 21 days, applied from April 27 to December 31, 2021, the support is from the Vietnam Children Support Fund.

In Lang Son province, as of the afternoon of June 8, 2021, there were 93 F0 cases, 2,639 F1 cases, 22,305 F2 cases. Among these, Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs has been reviewing cases of affected children who have to be quarantined due to the epidemic. Notably, at the  heart of the epidemic in Huu Lung, as of May 28, 2021, the whole district had 1,207 children who had to be quarantined at quarantine facilities and at home. Then, on May 30, 2021, implementing Decision No.1059/QĐ-UBND of the Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, Huu Lung district implemented social distancing throughout the district to prevent and control the Covid-19 epidemic from 0:00 on May 31, 2021 until a new decision is made. Accordingly, over 29.8 thousand children in the district have implemented social distancing as prescribed.

Mrs. Dang Thi Lan, Deputy Head of Social Protection – Children Division, Department of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs said that up to now, the Department has made a list of 330 children who are F0, F1 in localities in the province with difficult circumstances and are living in social distancing areas and concentrated quarantine facilities due to the Covid-19 epidemic to request the Department of Children, Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs to consider and extract from the Vietnam Children Protection Fund and other sources of advocacy to support children in Lang Son province affected by the disease. At the end of May 2021, the Provincial Children Support Fund also promptly supported a child in Huu Lung district – the child of a F0 patient who died due to the Covid-19 epidemic with the amount of 10 million VND.

Since the 4th outbreak of the epidemic in the province, the province’s associations, unions and sectors have supported people and children in the epidemic area who are under quarantine at concentrated quarantine facilities and at home. Mrs. Nong Bich Thuan, Chairwoman of the Provincial Red Cross Association said that over the past time, the Association has received over 560 million VND in cash and in kind, necessities from individuals and benefactors. With this support, from May 2021 to now, they have focused on organizing activities such as mobile humanitarian market, mobile gift giving to 21 disadvantaged villages and communes in three districts: Van Lang, Trang Dinh and Van Quan which are affected by the epidemic. They focus on supporting orphans, single people, children affected by the epidemic, giving gifts to kitchens in quarantine areas, choosing suitable necessities such as milk, cakes…to support children under quarantine.

Health workers took large samples for testing from children and people in Dong Tan commune, Huu Lung district

Along with the support activities of the Red Cross Association, the Association for the Protection of People with Disabilities and Children’s Rights in the province have had many practical activities. Mrs. Luong Thi My An, Chairwoman of the Provincial Association for the Protection of People with Disabilities and Children’s Rights, said that on the occasion of Action Month for Children, the Association received a batch of milk from the Vietnam Fund for Children with Disabilities. Accordingly, the Association has donated to disabled children, orphans and children with special circumstances at social protection facilities in the province and over 300 children affected by Covid-19 and children in remote areas and the lockdown area in Huu Lung district. The total value is nearly 40 million VND.

Not only associations and unions, but now, all levels and sectors of the province have had many specific activities. This activity shows humanitarian meaning when children are cared for in a timely manner, thereby, encouraging children in the whole province, especially children affected by the Covid-19 epidemic to overcome difficulties to soon enjoy useful summer days when the epidemic is well controlled.