    |
 |
|
During the exercise. Photo: VNA |
The exercise witnessed the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Defense Minister General Ngo Xuan Lich, and leaders of the Defense and Health Ministries and localities.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the exercise, Senior Lieutenant General Phan Van Giang, Chief of the General Staff and Deputy Defense Minister, briefed participants on the developments of the epidemic at home and abroad, stressing that the whole military has not encountered any cases of COVID-19. The Defense Ministry still held the exercise to train troops in dealing with various scenarios of a possible outbreak of COVID-19 in the country, he added.
The Chief of the General Staff said, it has been the first and largest-ever epidemic response exercise organized by the Defense Ministry. The exercise focused on collaboration among different levels of leadership and the military’s comprehensive capacity to cope with a possible outbreak of the epidemic.
|
|
 |
|
The Defense Ministry's Steering Board holds a meeting to work out measures to deal with situations at level 3 |
The exercise was organized into five levels.
At levels 1, 2 and 4, participants are briefed on the exercise’s progress through PP slides and a television system with voiceovers. At level 3, the steering boards for the epidemic at all levels hold a conference to work out measures to deal with Vietnamese citizens returning from COVID-19 affected areas.
At level 5, the scenario is that the epidemic has spread across the community and affected from 3,000 to 30,000 people, including military personnel. The defense ministry orders military units to rearrange their accommodations to create quarantine areas, provide health check-ups for suspected cases. Next, military units would deploy a field hospital that can accommodate around 600 patients.
During the exercise, the participating forces may have to address unscheduled situations set by the Defense Ministry’s steering board.
|
|
 |
|
Doctors from a field hospital give first aid to a COVID-19 patient |
The two-hour long exercise has completed successfully, meeting all the set targets.
Speaking at the closing ceremony, Deputy PM Dam praised the efforts of the Defense Ministry and relevant units in organizing the exercise.
He reaffirmed that the military has always been the leading force in disaster relief and rescue as well as in other emergencies.
In the face of complicated developments in the COVID-19 situation, the Deputy Prime Minister asked the Defense Ministry to continue following the Government’s instructions, promoting information dissemination inside and outside the military, enhancing troops’ awareness of COVID-19 prevention, and preparing forces and vehicles for possible negative situations of the epidemic in the time to come.
Translated by Trung Thanh