North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski ordered the deployment of the military to help battle the coronavirus pandemic, a statement said on Friday.

The statement from the president’s cabinet said that Pendarovski ordered the army to “engage part of its forces and equipment as an unarmed force in support of state institutions to deal with the consequencces of the pandemic” effective immediatelly.  

The order specified that the military will help transport and store medical equipment and protective gear, set up tents and other facilities and help with disinfection. It ordered the General Staff to deploy medical, transport and chemical and biological protection forces.  

The statement said that the military is being engaged under the defense law and recalled that the Army of North Macedonia can be engaged without the declaration of a state of emergency or crisis. The military was engaged during the 88 day state of emergency when the pandemic broke out.