Lang Son facilitates online public services amid COVID-19 pandemic

(LSO) – Administrative agencies and units in the northern border province of Lang Son have applied many ways to help businesses and people submit papers online or via posts, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the course of implementing the Prime Minister’s social distancing order.

   Staff at “one-stop” shop offer direct instructions

Due to the epidemic in recent months, the direct reception and return of the result of administrative procedures between officials, people and businesses has also been limited. Especially since April 1 when Lang Son imposed social distancing order in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Directive No.16/CT-TTg dated March 31, 2020 and the dispatch No.308/UBND-KGVX dated March 31, 2020 of the provincial People’s Committee on the implementation of urgent measures on COVID-19 prevention and control, all person-to-person administration procedures have been suspended at all levels. Instead, entities and individuals must submit e-documents via the public service portal and one-stop shop service or public post services.

Director of the provincial Department of Information and Communications Nguyen Quang Huy said in order to handle administrative procedures normally during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing days, the department worked with agencies and units concerned to help residents and businesses with the online process such as ensuring transmission line and transferring documents and results, among others.

Staff at the provincial public administrative centre instructs people how to submit online applications.

Specifically, all 19 departments and agencies with administrative procedures and almost district-level one-stop shop units assigned staff to offer instructions to individuals and organizations via telephone, email and SMS. Head of the one-stop shop unit at the Lang Son municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Hoang Anh said since April 1, staff there have instructed organizations and individuals how to submit papers online and via posts, through telephone, email or zalo. Most of them later did successfully. From April 1-15, the unit received 30 applications online and via post.

   Publicizing the implementation process

In addition to support from staff and agencies, since April 1, administrative agencies and units have enhanced information sharing and guided the public how to submit applications at offices, one-stop shop units and websites of the departments of home affairs, industry and trade, justice, information and communications, health and the provincial centre for public administrative services.

Staff at the provincial post guides people how to register public post services  

Authorities of districts and Lang Son city sent notices and instructions about online submission via public post services to each commune, ward or town. On the local portal, the province fully publicized information about 1,740 online public services with illustrative pictures and videos. At each administrative centre, organizations and individuals are allowed to print guidelines or raise questions when they need. The provincial post unit also introduced document transfer and return services to customers.

Hoang Minh Thien, a resident of Dong Kinh ward, Lang Son city, said: “Despite social distancing, I still could submit an application for judicial records via public services. I was quite confused at first, but after being instructed how to register and choose public services, fill in information, I found it not hard to apply online while still ensuring safety during the pandemic.”

From the beginning of this year to April 15, the provincial public service portal received and handled over 12,100 applications, up nearly 2,500 from the same period last year. In the first half of April, it collected 859 online applications. The provincial post transferred 306 documents and nearly 3,800 results, proving that the activity is not disrupted despite the epidemic. It is an encouraging result to help locals form a new habit of using technological advances in administrative procedures.