COVID-19 LATEST: Defence Forces readied for coronavirus emergency

The Defence Forces are preparing to respond to requests of assistance from the Government as unprecedented new measures were announced to combat the spread of Covid-19 today.

A statement issued by Óglaidh Na hÉireann today said Defence Forces personnel have been told all non-essential activities have been suspended in an effort to provide support to communities around the country.

The brief statement reads: “The Defence Forces confirms that we have notified our personnel of the impending change to our force posture and all non-essential activities have been suspended. Our focus now is to maximise our preparedness to respond to requests for assistance from the Civil Authorities.

“Protecting our personnel is our priority and is key to maintaining our capability to provide support to communities and civil authorities, when requested.

“For operational security reasons, we will not comment on specific dispositions of troops or on internal unit procedures at this time.

“For specific queries related to COVID-19 we refer you to the Health Service Executive,” the statement adds.