National Guard and COVID-19 | The assessment of the situation and the classification plan of the new recruits of 2020 Class

Defence Redefined

Published on 30/04/2020 at 18:16

The scenarios for the way in which the classification of the 2020 class recruits will be carried out, change daily, as the data that will determine the final decisions are constantly differentiated.

So far, the only fact that is definitely different compared to previous years is the electronic submission regarding the preference of the National Guard (NG) Army Branches and the conscripts’ supporting documents. Until now, these data were collected on the day of the recruitment of conscripts at the Training Centers. This reformation is not the result of the changes introduced by the coronavirus COVID-19, but it was designed some time ago as part of the Ministry of Defence’s broader plan regarding the government’s ongoing policy to modernize and adapt to the challenges of the new digital age as well as to promote E-Government.

Read more: Conscripts’ recruitment 2020: Data will be submitted electronically

Information from the Cypriot media spoke about scenarios of direct admission of the new recruits of 2020 ESSO in the Units.

This scenario is considered far-fetched, given the laxity of the measures as of the beginning of May and their complete abolition at the beginning of June, if everything goes smoothly in relation to the fight against coronavirus.

1st stage

According to our information, the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the National Guard (GEEF) are prepared in any case and have plans for every possible scenario.

Initially, in the first stage, the recruits will have 30 days to submit the relevant applications electronically. Unless anything changes, the submission of these applications is expected to start either on the 11th or 12th of May.

Read more: The scenarios for this year’s classification of conscripts

From there on, the participation of new recruits in the electronic process will partly affect the second stage, that of classification in the Training Centers. If the majority of the new recruits submit their preferences and certificates electronically, then the Training Centers will be decongested from a large workload that is traditionally carried out during the classification days. Based on this scenario, the process of admitting the new recruits will be accelerated.

The application (app) of the Ministry of Defence

The GEEF and the Ministry of Defence kindly request the recruits to be directly informed from the Ministry’s page and from its application on mobile phones, so that they are on alert regarding the announcements about the ranking.

In any case, all the information regarding the classification of the recruits will be announced several days in advance so both the new recruits and their families are informed and prepared accordingly.

Protection measures

It is estimated that during this year’s classification of new recruits, protection measures will be particularly strict. The provision of food, the exercise and training of the new recruits as well as their stay in the barracks will be intertwined with protection measures such as the frequent washing and meticulous cleaning, the use of antiseptics, avoidance of contact, avoidance of crowd gathering indoors and possibly the use of masks or gloves.

The National Guard has recently purchased a number of whole-body protective suits of EN14136 type from Lardas Tactical Gear company so as to serve its needs. These uniforms offer chemical protection, protection against infected people and are recommended by the World Health Organization for the protection of front-line personnel.

National Guard Assistance

In additton, the National Guard has been and continues to be actively involved in overseeing the measures taken to curb the spread of coronavirus. In particular, National Guard personnel are still in quarantine areas carrying out auxiliary duties for the unarmed guarding of entrances to the various lodgings where people are repatriated.

It is worth noting that all the actions of the NG are carried out in line with the operation of its Units and the execution of the main mission of the NG, which is none other than to ensure the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.

Read more: The National Guard during the pandemic era