Coronavirus: Soldiers go from the car park back to combat exercises
- Published
A British Army regiment is operating in coronavirus bubbles as soldiers return to combat exercises after spending lockdown providing Covid-19 tests.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards are at the Kirkcudbright Training Centre taking part in live firing exercises.
About 250 soldiers are engaged in operations under safety procedures to prevent the spread of the virus.
Soldiers are arranged in household groups of 10 to 15 people to try to minimise the risk.
Major Adam Champion, the officer commanding C Squadron, explained the steps being taken during the exercise over the next three weeks.
"Each of us will be distinguished by various signs such as wristbands to identify who everyone is and which cohort and household they are in," he said.
"There are about 250 soldiers in total in the exercise that are deployed here but [most] of those are socially distanced from each other so actually for the most part we only see a small number of us on any one day."
The exercise - Solway Eagle - is the first for the regiment since lockdown, and Major Champion said its purpose was to return troops to their "core soldiering skills".
During lockdown, his soldiers were in car parks across Scotland providing testing facilities for Covid-19.
"It's not difficult to retool for that sort of thing as we are generally quite agile in our thinking," he said.
"We are here to help in any way we can and is needed.
"We handed over that task to the Scottish Ambulance Service who are doing great work in carrying on those mobile testing units, but if we are needed in future then of course we are happy to help."
Trooper Troy Clark took part in an exercise to conduct a night ambush and said they had implemented different measures due to Covid-19.
"If you come into contact with someone who is wearing a different coloured band you know to keep the two metres distance," he said.
Lt Alex Humphries said the exercise was "blowing off the cobwebs that the global pandemic thrust upon us".
"We'll do whatever is asked of us," he said.
"We are more than happy to support the NHS in Scotland."
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