From a medical point of view, according to Boots, Defense can ultimately provide limited help. But things are different when it comes to coordination and logistics, for example. He gives as an example a nursing ward that has to be moved due to the risk of contamination. “Moving such a department quickly from the top floor to the ground floor is a wonderful thing to do with soldiers.”
For example, at the launch of the GGD rapid test streets, a few hundred soldiers came into action to ensure a good start. In the first quarter of 2021, some 1,000 troops will also be on standby for any assistance with test streets and the vaccination program. “Not necessarily to give people the shot, but for everything that happens around it,” says the naval commander.
Missions just continue
But the normal activities of Defense will also continue, Boots emphasizes. For example, cleaning up explosives in the Netherlands and carrying out military operations missions abroad. “The Taliban will not be fooled by corona, just to name one thing.”
According to him, deploying the army for the corona pandemic should be the very last option. This only happens in close consultation with national crisis centers, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense.
Applications for Defense support are made by the presidents of the 25 security regions, at the request of local healthcare institutions. The army is not the only ‘backstop’, the Red Cross and initiative ‘Extra Hands for Care’ can also be called upon.
Thousands of trained volunteers
The Red Cross is currently active at about 21 healthcare institutions. “We have a total of about 9,000 trained volunteers with a first aid background”, says Marieke van Schaik, director of the Dutch branch of the aid organization. An additional 80,000 people are available for part-time assistance.
The support they provide varies greatly. From offering a listening ear to people who feel lonely a few times a week to long-term help on test streets. In the latter case, paid employees are deployed. “That is a full-time job for people and you also need training for that”, says Van Schaik.
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