Switzerland. Canton Ticino. Rivera. Monte Ceneri military base. Due to the spread of the coronavirus (also called Covid-19), the Federal Council has categorised the situation in the country as “extraordinary”. The army was called upon to provide logistical support and to offer its skills in terms of medical assistance (ambulances, field hospital, tents, nurses,..). The militia soldiers from medical troops were called by the Swiss army for the first time since World War II. Under the country's militia system, professional soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are conscripts or volunteers aged 19 to 34 (in some cases up to 50). The soldiers are eating in the refectory. They seat distant two meters as safety healthy distance to avoid close contact and potential contamination by coronavirus. Monte Ceneri is a mountain pass in the canton of Ticino. It connects the Magadino plain and the Vedeggio valley across the Prealps. 2.04.2020 © 2020 Didier Ruef