Widespread transmission of coronavirus has prompted Vietnam’s army to activate the "wartime" alert to keep the force safe and prevent illegal immigration, an officer has said.

Border guards in Vietnam's Dak Lak that borders Laos. Photo: Tuan Anh/VNA

Military Regions No.2, 4, 5, 7, and 9 check localities to build quarantine centers, install video-surveillance cameras at barracks used for quarantine and important areas along the borderline, Lieutenant General Vu Hai Sai said at a meeting on May 11.

The army also gets ready for the worse-case scenario of surging infections and ensure the success of the upcoming national election, which is scheduled on May 23, he added.

All the command system, from the headquarters of the Ministry of National Defence to all focal units of the entire army, the pandemic control centers as well as the combat agencies must maintain a 24-hour and on-call systems.

Vietnam has deployed more than 1,800 Covid-19 checkpoints along its border and mobilized more than 8,000 border guards as well as over 3,600 people of other forces.

Regarding vaccination, more than 64,000 officers have received shots of Covid-19 vaccine. Army officers are among those prioritized for Covid-19 inoculation in Vietnam.

Since the coronavirus disease broke out in Vietnam in early 2020, the army has assumed the responsibility for the quarantine of suspected Covid-19 people, transporting people from the airports, and disinfection. Most of concentrated quarantine centers are managed by the military.

Military barracks have accommodated hundreds of thousands of people from pandemic-hit areas.