On November 6, the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council held a press conference to introduce the situation of further improving the import of foreign defense. At the press conference, Zhou Min, deputy director of the Emergency Office of the Ministry of Transport, answered a question from a Red Star News reporter on how to ensure the safety and health of shipping crew members.
"At present, the epidemic situation abroad is still spreading, the domestic normalization of the epidemic prevention and control situation is still arduous and heavy, the crew is an important part of the international logistics supply system, what are the latest deployment arrangements for the Ministry of Transport to do a good job in the crew change, how to ensure their life safety and physical health?"
In response to the red star news reporter's question, Zhou Min introduced that shipping is the main channel of international freight, and more than 95% of China's foreign trade transportation is completed through shipping. On November 4, President Xi Jinping pointed out in his congratulatory letter to the 2021 North Bund International Shipping Forum that the shipping industry is an important guarantee for the development of international trade and an important link for friendly exchanges between people around the world. In the context of the spread of the global COVID-19 epidemic, the shipping industry has played an active role in the global fight against the epidemic, promoting trade recovery, and maintaining the stability of the industrial chain supply chain.
Zhou Min
Zhou Min stressed that the crew is the key force to ensure the stable operation of the shipping industry, and has made positive contributions to maintaining the stability and smoothness of the international logistics chain. After the outbreak of the epidemic, their working environment and living environment have changed, and great efforts and sacrifices have been made. The Ministry of Transport attaches great importance to and is very concerned about the protection of the interests of the crew group, and since 2020, it has continued to take active and effective measures with relevant departments to protect the life safety, physical health and legitimate rights and interests of the crew. The Operational Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia Epidemic among Ship Crews have been formulated, which have been updated to the seventh edition, providing targeted and operational guidance for crew members to do a good job in epidemic prevention and control in a timely manner.
In addition, the Ministry of Transport also guides shipping enterprises and crew service agencies to implement the main responsibility for epidemic prevention and control of ship crews, urges crews to do a good job of self-protection during the ship, fully equipped with on-board facilities and equipment and epidemic prevention materials, ensures the supply of ship materials, crew meals and daily necessities, and timely solves the reasonable demands of crew members. The Ministry of Transport also actively coordinates with relevant departments, local governments and shipping enterprises and crew service agencies to facilitate the vaccination of international voyage crews with COVID-19 vaccines. Since April last year, the country has completed a total of 310,000 crew changes on international voyages and rescued 1,823 wounded and sick crew members.
Zhou Min said that to solve the problem of crew change and rescue, and to ensure the life safety and physical and mental health of the crew, it is necessary to work together from all sides. The Ministry of Transport, together with the departments of foreign affairs, health and health, customs, immigration and other departments, will continue to coordinate with the people's governments of the ports where they are located, respond to the crew members' shift replacement applications in a timely manner, coordinate the allocation of corresponding medical resources, and do a good job in emergency rescue for wounded and sick crew members in a timely manner.
Red Star News reporter Yan Yucheng reported from Beijing
Edited by Chai Chang
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