Government to Deploy Military to Battle Contagion

Bratislava, March 31 (TASR) - The police will receive assistance from the military when it comes to securing borders and guarding buildings with respect to the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, according to a proposal to deploy professional soldiers that was approved by the government on Monday. "As of 1 p.m. on March 25, 2025, the Slovak government declared a state of emergency in line with the Civil Protection Act in response to the presence of the highly-contagious foot-and-mouth virus. As the resources and forces of the Police Corps are insufficient to carry out tasks related to securing public order and guarding structures, it is proposed to allocate professional soldiers to perform tasks of the Police Corps," stated the Defence Ministry, which submitted the proposal. The soldiers will be deployed to serve on joint patrols with the police and guard all former border crossings with Hungary, selected border crossings with Austria and selected structures. The military is set to help the police until May 31. mf/df