At the event, Major General Nguyen Xuan Kien, Head of the Department of Military Medicine under the General Department of Logistics reported on the MND’s COVID-19 prevention and control.
In the spirit of “fighting the epidemic is like fighting an enemy”, all defense agencies and military units have actively participated in preventing the disease from spreading in the military. They have also closely worked with the Health Ministry and other centrally-run agencies, ministries and departments and forces to take preventive measures effectively.
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Deputy Defense Minister Tran Don addresses the meeting |
The military is managing 20 out of 45 national quick-response teams. Besides, border guard forces remain the main force working at checkpoints near border gates to check people’s health and raise the public’s awareness of the epidemic prevention measures. The military is also a key and pioneer force in receiving, quarantining and taking care of people entering Vietnam from epidemic-affected countries.
Especially, when the 17th COVID-19 infected case was found in Hanoi, the Department of Military Medicine directed military units’ medical sections to give advice to their Party Committees and Chains-of-Command to double-check, document, and quarantine those having contact with the infected person and those being suspected of being infected with the virus to avoid infection and giving timely treatment to them.
In his speech, Lieutenant General Le Hien Van, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army, highlighted that in the first period of the fight against the epidemic, the military strictly controlled people returning from the epidemic-affected areas, quarantined suspected COVID-19 cases and created the best conditions for local people to prevent the epidemic .
The military also gave accurate information about the virus, provided troops and people with knowledge of the epidemic, and fought against wrong viewpoints and fake information on the COVID-19.
According to General Van, in this second period of the fight, the military should promote information dissemination in a more effective and methodical manner. Each troop should act as an orator to make the epidemic prevention and control successful and ensure that their units’ political missions are completed.
Concluding the meeting, General Don applauded all defense agencies and military units for their good prevention and control of the disease in the past time.
The Deputy Defense Minister analyzed the complicated developments of the epidemic and the possibility of a widespread outbreak and requested relevant units to stay ready and work out response measures based on the scenarios for the outbreak at five levels which were practiced earlier by the military.
Therefore, units should enhance information dissemination on COVID-19 prevention among troops and people, apply preventive measures for those directly working in isolation areas, strictly restrict and monitor the number of people going in and out of military barracks, and check military vehicles entering Hanoi. They should also have a full list of military servicemen with relatives from epidemic-affected areas. Furthermore, units and officials are urged to hold video-conferences or teleconferences instead of normal meetings and gatherings.
Military units were asked to clean barracks, ensure food hygiene and safety, and organize training programs on COVID-19 prevention and control.
Meanwhile, they should also be active in enhancing international cooperation in COVID-19 prevention and disease treatment. Quick-response teams should stay alert to cope with epidemic situations at different levels on request.
Translated by Mai Huong