More than 40 Vietnamese citizens were caught attempting to enter Vietnam illegally from China in order to avoid COVID-19 quarantine.

Border guard officers in the northern province of Cao Bang confirmed on Wednesday that they had detected 44 Vietnamese border jumpers in two separate cases.

At around 7:00 am the same day, officers at Ngoc Con Border Post, located in the namesake commune in Trung Khanh District, caught a group of 22 Vietnamese as they were crossing the Vietnam-China border.

Another group of 22 Vietnamese citizens was spotted by officers at Ngoc Chung Border Post, also in Ngoc Con Commune, at 10:00 am.

The border jumpers said they had migrated to China unlawfully in early 2020 to find jobs.

Due to COVID-19, Chinese authorities have been hunting illegal migrants, prompting the Vietnamese citizens to head back to the Southeast Asian country.

They decided to cross the border illegally in order to avoid Vietnam’s mandatory COVID-19 quarantine procedures.

Cao Bang border guards have sent the border jumpers to local quarantine centers in accordance with regulations.

The Border Guard Command said that border guard officers across Vietnam detected 62 individuals as they tried to enter the country unlawfully on Wednesday.

Sixty-seven Vietnamese citizens who illegally migrated to Laos, Cambodia, and China were handed over to Vietnamese authorities on the same day.

Vietnam has sealed its borders since March last year but it still grants entry to diplomats, foreign experts, and Vietnamese repatriates.

All international arrivals are required to undergo a 21-day quarantine period to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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