The army should always be welcome to help Northern Ireland at times of civil emergency

Stormont’s department of health is right to call for military assistance.

Covid cases have surged in Northern Ireland and elsewhere.

The impact is less severe on the health service than were similar infection rates at last year’s height.

This is clearly related to the success of the vaccine programme, with the great majority of the population having now had both jabs. But some young people are not getting vaccinated, which is a big part of the resurgence.

However, there are other possible factors such as the extent to which people can be re-infected by Covid.

There are still many unknowns in this pandemic.

It is very worrying to think that while vaccines have been a major success, Covid could be causing significant disruption to normal life for a long time to come.

One rock amid all this trauma is the military. The UK can always depend on the professionalism, competence and sense of duty of its men and women in uniform.

It was troubling last year when there was an apparent reticence in Stormont to deploy the military for testing.

This was belatedly overcome.

Republicans do not like the fact that NI is part of the UK but that is the legal position.

Not only should military help always be welcome, there should be no possible legal or political impediment to its assistance in the Province at times of civil emergency.

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