VIETNAM has sent hundreds of additional troops to secure the Laos border and ensure no one enters the country illegally, possibly bringing with them the coronavirus.
The Military Command of Nghe An Province said troops were in place at the 34 posts and 22 stations along the border.
Other provinces such as Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue have also boosted the number of troops patrolling the border, including remote trails.
The Vietnam-Laos border runs 2,161 km across 10 northern and central provinces.
The move comes as Laos is now experiencing a spike in Covid-19 cases across the country.
The Vn Express reports that for the last few months, Vietnam's National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, and the Health Ministry have been warning about the threat of a new outbreak as people have lowered their guard and many were entering the country illegally to avoid tests and quarantine.
Currently, anyone entering Vietnam must be quarantined for 14 days and tested at least twice.
After over a month without new community transmission cases, 24 cases have been found since Thursday in four localities including 12 in Ha Nam Province, six in Vinh Phuc Province, three in Hanoi, two in Hung Yen Province, and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
In the Laos capital Vientiane, central hospitals are reported to be full of patients, requiring field medical facilities to be set up.
The country has not recorded any deaths so far due to the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the Laotian Times reports that the Bokeo province has reported 60 cases while Laos had a total of 112 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday.
Its National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control said the total number of cases recorded in Laos is now 933.
Epidemiological investigations have shown that the new infections are closely connected to those who entered the country illegally from Thailand.
Only the provinces of Attapeu, Xaysomboun, and Houaphan have not recorded any cases while Sekong province is now free of Covid-19.
However, every province in the country remains under lockdown.
Dr. Phonepadith Xangsayarath, Director of the National Center for Laboratory and Epidemiology, said the virus has now reached every section of society, affecting children and the elderly.
He said that most of the cases originated at Lao New Year events and are not recent infections, while the Vietnamese Embassy and Vietnamese Business Association have begun providing assistance with contact tracing.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sommana Rattana, Deputy Director-General, Department of Health Care and Rehabilitation, said Vientiane has 452 people being treated for Covid-19.
The UK strain of the virus has been identified as one of the reasons the outbreak has spread so quickly.