On 16 July, Slovakian Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad’ awarded the Slovakian Operational Medal to more than 30 Austrian soldiers in the presence of Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner. They supported the Slovakian armed forces during the Covid-19 mass testing on October 31 and November 1, 2020.
This mission also allowed them to gain relevant experience for the mass tests in Austria. Four soldiers were also awarded the Order of the Lifesaver for providing immediate first aid to a collapsing person. “A pandemic knows no boundaries, as Covid-19 has clearly shown. It was therefore a matter of course for us to immediately help our neighboring country Slovakia when we were asked for support in handling the mass testing of the population,” said Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.
The soldiers were deployed in the border districts of Bruck an der Leitha and Neusiedl am See. In Slovakia, they provided support near the border in Trencin, Nitra and Nove Zamky. The primary task was to assist the Slovakian armed forces and the authorities in carrying out mass testing. This included the registration of test subjects, the coordination and management of the test lanes, the actual test acceptance and the handover of test results by means of findings or notifications. During the mission at a test station, a Slovakian civilian collapsed after the Covid-19 test was carried out. Four Austrian soldiers immediately provided first aid. The person was responsive again after receiving appropriate care and was handed over to the emergency doctor. The soldiers were drawn from all over Austria. There were a total of twelve test routes at two test stations. Around 5,500 tests were carried out by the Austrian Armed Forces, i.e. around 25 tests per hour per test line.
