Despite the hard work involved in preparing quarantine areas, the young soldiers were still very happy with their tasks
Working all night
During the days of preparation to welcome citizens from Laos, staff of the Repair Station and the Technical Department of the Provincial Military Command worked through the nights to repair and build hundreds of bunk beds.
In the tight space, 25 officers and soldiers worked hard on welding stainless steel bars, installing each bed rail and carefully checking the quality of each weld.
Captain Luu Thanh Tuan, Head of the Repair Station said: In order to ensure progress and deliver the beds as soon as possible to the quarantine areas, the Station mobilized all its troops and worked hard 12 hours a day. Having to race against time, but officers and soldiers still worked very seriously to ensure technical quality.
To prepare facilities for the quarantine areas, in the past days, officers and young soldiers of the 6th Infantry Regiment, Provincial Military Command called on all possible human resources to complete the preparation of the quarantine areas, which can accommodate 1,000-1,500 people/area.
Long queues in the yard of the Tax Business School (Zone T5), young soldiers ate lunch and then took a nap in the corner of the stairs or under the eaves before continuing their work. After 4 days, the Zone T5 was completed with full facilities to receive people.
Carrying the bunk beds, blankets and mosquito nets from the first floor to the second, and then the third, fourth and fifth floors of Truong Bia Dormitory (Zone T6), sweat broke out on the face of Private First Class Nguyen Duc Thanh, Infantry Battalion 1, Infantry Regiment 6. However, he still smiled and waved his hands when he saw the camera.
“We have been carrying things up the stairs since morning. Of course it’s tiring, but we are young and we will feel better. The faster we work, the sooner we can welcome citizens to the quarantine area," Thanh said.
Soldiers gathered together, regardless of their rank or position and shared with each other packets of instant noodles while taking a break to eat at night during overtime. In order to have quarantine areas with adequate facilities, officials and soldiers have raced against time, day and night. There are quarantine areas which were prepared in only 1-2 days.
Preparing meals for people in quarantine areas
Gratitude from the people
When the soldiers who completed the task of preparing the facilities for the quarantine area left, the soldiers with duties to serve the people arrived.
From the layout of the rooms to the preparation of the forces to welcome people from Laos, all had been well-prepared by the quarantine areas. From the preparation of each hot meal to working overnight to welcome citizens (because the coaches transporting people from Laos often come to Hue at night), the officials and soldiers were always ready to carry out their tasks.
The Tax Business School (Zone T5) and the School for Human Resources Training and Development of Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade (Zone T4) are the two quarantine areas with a capacity of over 1,500 people/zone.
To ensure safety, the quarantine zones were strictly sealed, "no one enters and no one leaves". The increasing number of citizens in quarantine areas meant that the service team’s work was more strenuous.
Service forces receiving citizens in the night
14 days of quarantine in Zone T5 have passed. On the day the quarantine period was completed, Ms. Nguyen Thi My Linh (Dinh Quan, Dong Nai) could not control her tears: “The day we arrived at the border gate, we thought we were safe. When the Thua Thien Hue soldiers welcomed us into the quarantine area, everything was decent and clean beyond our imagination. We not only ate well but we were also provided with some personal items. No matter how many times we say, it is impossible to express our gratitude to the service staff in the quarantine area. ”
Perhaps even after arriving home, Ms. Tran Thi Van and her daughter (Quynh Luu, Nghe An) could not know the faces of the soldiers who took care of each meal and sleep for them in the quarantine area, because they all had to wear masks and protective clothing. What Ms. Van remembered were the names and caring voices that called her every morning when they brought breakfast and porridge for her young child.
“The soldiers had a hard task of serving thousands of people and still remember the special rations for children and the elderly ... Because of limited public transportation, the Provincial Military Command helped us to buy train tickets and arrange the car to take us to the train station to return home,” Ms. Van said.
Preparing to see off the people who completed the quarantine, Major Le Van Trung, Deputy Head of Zone T4 did not forget to remind people over the loudspeaker: “Remember to declare medical information when you arrive home and continue to self-quarantine for another 14 days. Restrain from going out, regularly wear medical masks, and disinfect to prevent the spread of the disease. We wish you safe travel to reunite with your family”.
Healthy citizens, one after another, were able to leave the quarantine areas but the soldiers remained behind to work "through isolation" and continue to receive other citizens returning from the epidemic areas. They can only relieve their homesickness through hasty phone calls to their wives and children before having to return to their task of serving the people.
The words of thanks, the emotional letters, and the poems written quickly by the people after leaving the quarantine areas were the motivation to empower the soldiers to continue to their fight against the disease.
When the last citizens left the quarantine areas, the soldiers went on to clean up. They remain the same, always the first to go and the last to leave, all to serve the People.
Story and photos: THANH THAO