Troops deployed to southwestern border amid rising coronavirus threats
VOV.VN - The Border Guard Command has mobilised troops from sea and northern border areas to the south-western border to assist localities with the fight against COVID-19 amid rising coronavirus threats there.
Troops from military schools and military zones have also been mobilized to the border, said the Border Guard Command at an online meeting on April 28 to review the COVID-19 prevention work.
Vietnam is facing a potential risk of a new coronavirus outbreak in the community as an increasing number of people residing in neighbouring countries such as Laos, Cambodia and Thailand is seeking to illegally cross the border into Vietnam.
On April 28 alone, soldiers stationed along the Vietnam-Cambodia border received 17 legal entrants and detained 54 others, the meeting heard.
The same day, border guards also recorded 54 cases of illegal entry from China and 7 cases of illegal entry from Laos.
Cambodia is currently one of coronavirus hotspots in Southeast Asia. It has 11 coastal and landlocked provinces bordering Vietnam, and all these localities have recorded COVID-19 cases.
Meanwhile, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has spread to 15 out of 18 cities and provinces of Laos, of which eight share a common border with Vietnam.
Facing a high risk of virus resurgence, borderguard units have mobilized 14 ships, 25 boats and 320 troops to patrol the waters bordering Cambodia.
The Border Guard Command has established an additional 185 checkpoints along the land border to early detect and prevent acts of illegal entry.
According to the Command, more than 4,700 troops stationed along the south-western border have got the first AstraZeneca vaccine shot against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They are due to fan out to hotspots of illegal entry along the border during the four-day holiday, starting on April 30.
