The Prime Minister requested proactive measures to prevent and combat prolonged periods of severe cold weather.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has just issued a directive to the chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and cities and central ministries and agencies regarding proactive measures to prevent and combat prolonged severe cold weather.

The official dispatch stated: In recent days, due to the influence of a strong cold front, severe cold weather has occurred in the Northern and North Central regions, with frost appearing in high mountainous areas, affecting people's health and livestock and agricultural production. According to the forecast of the National Center for Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting, severe cold weather may continue for the next few days; low temperatures along with drizzle, high humidity and food scarcity will greatly affect people's lives, the resistance and growth of crops and livestock.

To proactively respond to severe cold weather, protect people's health, minimize damage to agricultural production, protect people's health and livelihoods, and ensure the supply of essential food to meet market demand during the year-end and Lunar New Year holidays, the Prime Minister requests the Chairmen of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities, especially those in the mountainous and midland regions of Northern and North Central Vietnam, the National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health , the Ministry of Education and Training, and other relevant ministries and agencies to closely monitor weather developments and proactively direct and implement measures to respond to severe cold weather, focusing on the following specific tasks:

1. Chairpersons of the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities:

a) Proactively disseminate information and guide people on implementing measures to combat the cold, ensuring their health and safety (avoiding the use of charcoal stoves for heating in enclosed rooms to prevent unfortunate incidents and casualties); prevent and control fires and explosions when heating; pay special attention to protecting the elderly, children, and vulnerable people from the cold and other extreme weather conditions... Based on the specific weather situation in the locality, proactively allow students to take time off from school according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.

b) Focus on directing and implementing comprehensive measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold, and diseases affecting crops, livestock, and aquatic products in order to minimize losses to agricultural production. Absolutely no complacency or negligence is allowed; promptly organize working groups to go to the grassroots level, especially in highland communes, to directly disseminate information, provide guidance, inspect, and supervise cold prevention and control efforts for the people, crops, and livestock; disseminate and promote safe and effective methods and skills for cold prevention and control, especially for the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and children...

Livestock farmers in the forest must move their herds to sheltered barns or other protected areas to ensure their animals are protected from the cold; they should not graze or work their buffaloes and cattle during periods of severe cold; and they should adopt a late grazing and early return schedule. At the same time, people should be encouraged to proactively stockpile and preserve both roughage and concentrate feed for their livestock, ensuring sufficient food for the winter-spring season.

c) Proactively allocate local budgets, the Disaster Prevention and Control Fund, and other local resources to promptly serve the work of preventing and controlling hunger, cold, and diseases for livestock, aquatic products, and crops; promptly provide supplies and funding to poor households, ethnic minority households, and policy beneficiary families to reinforce and protect livestock shelters, breeding ponds, and seedling gardens, especially spring rice seedlings, and to purchase concentrated feed for grazing livestock, fertilizers, and biological products to increase the cold resistance of crops.

d) Be held accountable to the Prime Minister if significant losses of life and crops or livestock occur due to negligence, carelessness, or failure to fully and promptly implement measures to prevent and combat hunger, cold (especially severe cold), and disease for people and crops and livestock in the area.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training has issued guidelines to educational institutions regarding school closures for students during periods of severe cold, frost, and other unusual weather events caused by cold weather...

3. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will focus on closely monitoring weather developments, guiding localities in implementing measures to prevent cold weather and diseases for livestock, poultry, aquatic animals, and crops; and developing and guiding the production plan for the Winter-Spring crop season, with crop structures suitable to weather conditions.

4. The Ministry of Health, in coordination with media agencies, will disseminate knowledge, guidance, and recommendations to the public on effective measures to prevent and combat cold weather, ensuring health safety and avoiding the risk of gas poisoning from burning coal or wood for heating in enclosed rooms; and will direct grassroots health forces to ensure the necessary supply of medicines and organize medical examinations and treatment for the people.

5. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment directs close monitoring, forecasting, warning, and timely provision of information on weather conditions, severe cold, and frost so that relevant agencies and media outlets can disseminate this information to the public and proactively implement effective response measures to severe cold, frost, and ice.

6. The Ministry of Information and Communications and media agencies at the central and local levels should allocate appropriate time slots and implement measures to disseminate information through mass media about methods and skills for preventing and combating cold weather for people, livestock, poultry, and agricultural production.

7. The National Steering Committee for Disaster Prevention and Control shall closely monitor the developments of severe cold weather, proactively direct, inspect, and urge localities to promptly implement prevention, control, and mitigation measures; and report and propose to the Prime Minister for guidance on handling issues beyond its authority.

8. Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang is assigned to directly supervise and monitor the matter; the Government Office will monitor, urge, and report to the Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister according to its assigned functions and duties.

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