Southern localities strengthen to prevent Omicron variant spread through borders

SGGP 16/12/2021 17:02

Amid the first newly-detected Omicron infection in Cambodia as well as to prevent the spread of the new variant into Vietnam through the southwest borders, the Southern provinces and cities have strengthened forces at the Covid-19 checking-points serving for struggling against border smuggling and the Covid-19 pandemic.

As for the province of Kien Giang, Deputy Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Luu Trung said that the Provincial Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control had grasped the information related to the Omicron variant in the neighboring country of Cambodia. Since the fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak in mid-June, the whole 56-kilometer-long border route between Kien Giang Province and Cambodia has been closed to prevent the imported cases. In addition, the province has mobilized nearly 2,000 soldiers from military forces, police and other forces performing tasks at over 180 checking points along the border route from Giang Thanh to Ha Tien City.

Meanwhile, in the coastal area from Kien Hai to islands of Phu Quoc and Tho Chau, the provincial functional forces have strengthened the patrols along with small speedboats at night.

In the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, the locality also established 15 mobile patrol teams out of 210 teams along with many checking points along the 96-kilometer-long border route with Cambodia. The Provincial Border Guard Command of An Giang said that the smuggling activities would be complicated at the end of the year; therefore, the works of strengthening inspection against smuggling activities also helped the pandemic prevention.

Colonel Doan Van An, Political Commissioner for the Long An Provincial Border Guard Command said that the agency has closely collaborated with other relevant units to maintain the 36 checking points, nine mobile patrol teams and mobilized nearly 600 soldiers to strengthen the checking and control at the border areas to prevent the illegal immigrants and crime. In addition, the Provincial Border Guard Command has often exchanged information with Cambodian counterparts to collaborate the border management, protection and fight against the crime as well as Covid-19 pandemic prevention.

As for Tay Ninh Province, Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Ngoc informed that the province had directed the border guard forces to strengthen the border control, prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. Tay Ninh Province has a 240-kilometer-long border route with Cambodia, six main border gates, including three international border gates of Moc Bai, Xa Mat, Tan Nam and ten auxiliary border gates which would create favorable conditions for illegal immigrants causing high risk of spreading Omicron variant to the country.

Besides, Binh Phuoc Province has over a 260-kilometer-long border route with Cambodia with four border gates and hundreds of pathways. Currently, the province is maintaining 65 Covid-19 prevention and control checking points, especially strengthening the checking works at border gates of Hoa Lu, Hoang Dieu, Loc Thinh to prevent illegal import from Cambodia and perform the testing and isolation as regulated.