Switzerland's armed forces said Saturday that the army is prepared to deploy to help in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected more tha 1,000 people in the country.
The army will as of Monday deploy one of its four hospital battalions, army chief Thomas Sussli said in a tweet.
The battalion will be carry out a "special service towards the security and protection of us all," he wrote.
While he did not clarify the specific service to be provided, he pointed out that more than 90 percent of the personnel in Switzerland's hospital battalions "work in other professions, but have civilian-recognised, military-acquired basic care training."