Officers and soldiers of the Department of Administrative Management and Social Order under the Ministry of Public Security at a ceremony before leaving for Ho Chi Minh City to help it deal with Covid-19 outbreaks. (Photo: VNA)

Military personnel have been mobilized to HCM City and southern provinces to assist with patient management, delivery of essential goods, and health safety measure enforcement.

The Ministry of Public Security has also deployed forces to southern provinces to help ensure public safety and assist medical workers as necessary. In HCM City, more than 200 special task forces have been set up to enforce social distancing and deliver food and foodstuffs to people in need, and 400 mobile medical stations have been set up in communes and wards to conduct testing.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said, 'During strict social distancing, we have to ensure that people get the food and medical care they need. We must bolster communal medical centers. The government has called on localities nationwide to help HCM City and southern provinces immediately. Medical personnel must be mobilized to ensure sufficient nurses and doctors, and the Ministry of Public Security and the army must get involved in delivering food to those in need.' 

The Prime Minister has asked local officials to consider evacuating some people in order to reduce population density and make social distancing more effective, following lessons learned by northern provinces that experienced coronavirus surges earlier this year. The Prime Minister said military camps, schools, hotels,and similar accommodations can be mobilized for that purpose.