Military is on stand-by to help fight coronavirus as MoD officials are deployed to draw up emergency contingency plans
- Military personnel and officials will be stationed at 38 ‘local resilience forums’
- Military planners, usually despatched to war zones, will be at each forum
- On Thursday, British Army General Sir Nicholas Carter visited Downing Street
- There are fears communities will struggle to deal with the effects of the outbreak
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Dozens of British military planners are being deployed across the country to help local areas cope with the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak.
A combination of military personnel and Ministry of Defence officials will be stationed at 38 ‘local resilience forums’ to form emergency contingency plans.
There are fears that communities could struggle to deal with the effects of a mass outbreak of the virus, including the need to isolate the elderly and the strain on medical services.
Army General Sir Nicholas Carter visited Downing Street on Thursday as military planners are being deployed across the country to help with the coronavirus outbreak
A defence source said: ‘There will be one military planner in each local resilience forum. The military is used to dealing with a crisis more so than other agencies.’
Military planners are normally despatched to war zones or theatres of operations to map out contingency plans.
Local resilience forums, known as LRFs, plan for localised incidents and ‘catastrophic emergencies’ in the UK. They include representatives from councils, the police, other emergency services and health bodies.
Earlier this week, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick launched a taskforce to strengthen local plans to tackle the virus.
It will bring together senior experts from across key sectors, including local government, public health and adult social care. They will assess LRF plans and provide support and advice to ensure they are robust.
Mr Jenrick said: ‘We all have a part to play in managing the spread of coronavirus and I am working to ensure local partners are fully equipped to play their part, too.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick launched a taskforce to strengthen local plans to tackle the virus
‘With extensive experience, the new taskforce will provide LRFs with the capability and expertise to respond quickly and effectively.’
The taskforce will analyse local flu response plans, and discuss with LRF chairmen support for vulnerable people and how key services could be maintained.
This is the second time UK forces have been asked to help with the epidemic.
British personnel also helped with the evacuation of UK and foreign nationals who were airlifted from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the centre of the coronavirus outbreak, and brought to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire last month.
The Army could also be put on standby to substitute for the police in guarding duties at high-profile sites, such as nuclear power stations and Parliament. This would free up police officers for frontline roles.
The Prime Minister has previously said there are ‘long-established plans’ for the Army to ‘backfill’ in emergencies, but Government sources have played down suggestions that the military would play a wider role.
LRFs were previously tasked with carrying out ‘No Deal’ Brexit preparations.