President lauds military's anti-contagion efforts

President Xi Jinping signed an order of commendation on Friday lauding all military personnel who took part in the fight against the novel coronavirus, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Xi did so in his capacity as chairman of the Central Military Commission, the country's top military authority, the report said.

The order said that the armed forces responded quickly to decisions made by the Communist Party of China Central Committee and the Central Military Commission and they honored their missions and responsibilities, adding that they contributed significantly to the fight against COVID-19.

Calling the contagion a big war and a major test for the military, the order said Party members, medical staff, researchers, journalists as well as logistics and other support personnel inside the military did their jobs well and fulfilled their duties.

During the battle against the contagion, military personnel always regarded protecting the people's interests as their top priority, which represents their loyalty to the Party and the people, the order read.

The battle also honed the troops' operational capabilities and strengthened their dauntless revolutionary spirit, it added.

As of Thursday, all military medics sent to assist in Wuhan's epidemic control efforts had fulfilled their missions and left the provincial capital of Hubei.

Since late January, more than 4,000 doctors and nurses from the armed forces had been sent to Wuhan to offer assistance to the hard-hit city. None of them contracted the virus thanks to good protective measures.

In addition, over 10,000 medics at 63 military hospitals across the country were involved in battling the outbreak, military officials said.

An editorial published on Friday in the People's Liberation Army Daily, the military's flagship newspaper, said that the massive mobilization and deployment of military medics was the largest operation for the military's medical forces since ongoing military reforms began in 2015.

All branches of the military sent medical staff to offer assistance and many of the medics previously had rich experience in handling severe contagions such as severe acute respiratory syndrome and Ebola, the article said.

In addition to medics, the PLA also established a transport support team with 260 members and 130 trucks in February to help solve logistical difficulties in Wuhan. The team was recently disbanded after completing its tasks.