In a normal spring, Canadian soldiers might be working on flooding relief or forest fires in the north. The novel coronavirus has forced the Canadian military into a new role.
Vance tells troops across Canada to “stand by and be ready” for whatever deployment comes.The death toll in long-term care facilities starts to build. In Ontario, 40 seniors are believed to have been killed by COVID-19, and another 15 in Quebec.Quebec focuses on protecting seniors, limits regional travel as coronavirus deaths top 33Canadian Joint Operations Command holds an Operation LASER meeting to discuss potential tasks.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Ottawa “will respond to any request they ask of us, whatever that might be.”Canadian troops begin scouting missions to long-term care facilities to determine what is needed and where.Visiting a facility in Montreal, Lt.-Cmdr. Heather Galbraith says “people were clapping” when her team showed up.Sixty-five troops move into five Quebec residences — that number will double to 130 within a few days.
While the first request was limited to troops with medical training, this time the premier says they need hands.“The situation in seniors residences is still critical. Today we’ve asked the federal government to send a thousand soldiers. It will give us more resources to help with non-medical tasks.”Teams of soldiers are given a crash course in what to expect when deployed in long-term care facilities. The four-hour training sessions are given by the Canadian Red Cross.
“When they get into the CHSLD , they might be teamed up with people that are already there to show them the finer things,” says Michelle Mercier, prevention and safety director for the Canadian Red Cross.
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