Coronavirus: Military assistance welcomed

The announcement that military personnel will support Northern Ireland’s health service in the fight against Covid-19 has been welcomed by Newtownabbey political representatives.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Supporting the move, Mayor of Antrim and Newtownabbey, Cllr Jim Montgomery said: “Our Health Service staff have been under tremendous pressure for the duration of this pandemic and this has significantly intensified over the last few weeks.

“It is only right to provide them with every possible resource and support in their heroic work. Our military personnel are trained to protect the public at both home and abroad, so in the face of a national crisis we must welcome their readiness to serve.

“Calling upon this help is certainly a significant step, but it shows the seriousness of the toll this sustained effort is taking on our frontline health workers.

Antrim Area Hospital has been at the forefront of the battle, with peaks where nearly half of all in-patients tested positive for Covid-19. Pic by Pacemaker.Antrim Area Hospital has been at the forefront of the battle, with peaks where nearly half of all in-patients tested positive for Covid-19. Pic by Pacemaker.
Antrim Area Hospital has been at the forefront of the battle, with peaks where nearly half of all in-patients tested positive for Covid-19. Pic by Pacemaker.

“At a local level, we know our own Antrim Area Hospital has been at the forefront of the battle, with peaks where nearly half of all in-patients tested positive for Covid-19.

“Additional trained personnel will certainly help our NHS, but the greatest impact to help them through this period will be if each of us follows the very simple rule- Stay at Home.”

Commenting on the deployment, South Antrim DUP MP Paul Girvan stated: “I very much welcome the news that around 100 Army personnel will be placed in medical facilities across Northern Ireland from next week. This was a matter which I brought up in Parliament at a time when the rest of the United Kingdom was implementing such a strategy.

“There is no doubt that the people of Northern Ireland will benefit greatly from having our Armed Forces men and women helping our NHS staff. The professionalism and sheer capacity for logistical input from our military is a valuable resource which has for too long been held back in our battle against Covid-19.

“I want to thank the Ministry of Defence for responding positively to the request for domestic deployment in this part of the United Kingdom and wish all of those put in place the very best as they help our community.”

The news has also been welcomed by South Antrim DUP MLA Pam Cameron.

The vice chair of the Assembly’s Health Committee said: “It is absolutely right that all sources of assistance are being utilised in the battle against Covid-19. However, the fact that military personnel are now required within our hospitals is a sobering reminder of the threat posed by this virus and the continuing pressure on our health service.

“As a party we have always been clear that any necessary military assistance should be availed of just as it has been in other parts of the UK and in other countries. No-one would welcome the fact that it has been deemed necessary to make this request, but everyone will welcome the assistance these personnel can bring and hope they can ease some of the pressure on our incredible health service staff.”

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers. Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.