The High Command of Ho Chi Minh City has deployed 310 military units to assist in COVID-19 prevention and control efforts in the southern metropolis.

Ceremonies were organized in 21 districts and Thu Duc City at 11:00 pm on Sunday to officially mobilize military officers for pandemic response missions.

More than 30,000 officers under the High Command of Ho Chi Minh City have been put in charge of participating in the efforts.

"This is a strategic battle. The army, police, and local authorities are determined to work together to stamp out the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Nam, commander of the Ho Chi Minh City High Command.

Residents in each neighborhood should be provided with contact information of corresponding militia units so that assistance can be given in a prompt manner, Nam continued.

According to Hoang Tung, chairman of the Thu Duc People’s Committee, the deployment of military units will help further tighten social distancing regulations and make sure residents “stay where they are.”

They will assist in patrolling local streets, performing duties at COVID-19 checkpoints, and penalizing violators of pandemic prevention and control regulations, Tung added.

During an interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper earlier the same day, Lieutenant General Ngo Minh Tien, deputy chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, stated that soldiers will also coordinate with relevant units to deliver food and supplies to local residents.

Meanwhile, officers under the military medic force will take part in treating COVID-19 patients, the official said.

All military personnel participating in the fight against COVID-19 in Ho Chi Minh City have received at least one vaccine shot, he continued.

They had undergone COVID-19 testing prior to their deployment and will be tested once every three days while on duty.

Ho Chi Minh City is currently the country’s largest epicenter with nearly 176,000 local infections recorded since the fourth wave began on April 27.

The city has undergone various levels of social distancing since May 31, but daily infections are reaching thousands, with cases detected in the community on the rise over the past few days.

The municipal authorities have asked people to stay where they are from August 23 to September 6, as part of drastic measures to push back the serious pandemic.

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