Australia Deploys 1,700 Military Personnel to Support Aged Care Sector’s COVID-19 Response

Health workers take out stretchers from an ambulance at the Hardi Aged Care Nursing Home Facility in Summers Hill suburb of Sydney, Australia on Aug. 2, 2021, Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton has not ruled out deploying more military personnel if the need arises in the aged care sector.

His comments follow the Morrison government’s announcement on Feb. 7 that 1,700 defence personnel would be dispatched to assist the aged care sector with its COVID-19 response.