Neutral Switzerland drafts in army to fight coronavirus, reuters.com

In the Swiss Army’s biggest call-up since World War II, thousands of soldiers have been sent to support health workers in the fight against the coronavirus, but the mobilisation has not been without problems. […]

In total, some 5,000 soldiers including members of medical battalions are supporting civil personnel. They have been particularly active in Ticino, the Italian-speaking canton on the border with Italy where many of Switzerland’s 22,000 infected and 641 dead are from.

Switzerland is mobilising up to 8,000 members of the military, not only for medical service but to help seal its borders, assist with logistics and provide security support during the crisis. […]

Currently, 728 military personnel are in quarantine, Droz said, with 49 in isolation. A total of 172 soldiers have tested positive, many of them at a school for recruits in Ticino.

Only one Swiss soldier has tested positive during active coronavirus duty. Läs artikel