On 22-23 April 2020, EUFOR extends its preventative testing series for COVID-19 to include deployed elements around BiH. These tests are purely a preventive measure, to survey the health of EUFOR’s deployed elements and exclude any risk to local communities. There have been no indications that any deployed personnel have displayed symptoms at any time.
Medical teams from Austria will be conducting the tests at EUFOR facilities in locations including Banja Luka, Tuzla and Novo Sarajevo. The teams will travel by road and aircraft in order to reach the deployed locations.
Local residents may see personnel wearing full-body personal protective equipment; this is nothing to be afraid of. It is standard protocol for medical professionals to wear this type of equipment when performing this type of procedure. There is no risk to local communities in performing these tests.
This represents the next logical step in EUFOR’s testing series, to extend EUFOR’s duty of care to its deployed personnel and the communities they serve. Previous testing had focused on the main body of EUFOR personnel at Camp Butmir, Sarajevo.
