Soldier Marian: It's my life Marian Motola, a thirty-eight-year-old member of the platoon of the Honour Guard of the Slovak Armed Forces, provides training for other soldiers of his unit in addition to the test site in front of the Bratislava garrison headquarters. He has been helping with biological sampling since the outbreak of the pandemic for almost a year, the soldier is 21 years old. He would have the opportunity to retire, but he continues to serve in the armed forces. Why? "It's about motivation, it's my life and we have it in the family. My grandfather was a soldier, "describes a native of Banská Bystrica. Practice is rich. After returning from a mission in Cyprus, he came to Bratislava two years ago, before that he served only in Afghanistan. At the Bratislava collection point, he is responsible for the barracks from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm for the smooth operation of testing, material equipment and overall order. Since they only test people registered through the ordering system, their number has dropped from 450 to 250 per day. In our capital alone, fifty soldiers help during the second wave of the pandemic. About twenty take samples directly, the remaining thirty coordinate people in hospitals and collection points. How does he perceive the public reactions to the participation of the armed forces in the fight against the pandemic? "I think people are feeling it. Even during the first wave, when we worked in continuity with the police force, the soldiers were perceived positively by the public. We also felt it in restaurants, for example, which were more accommodating to us, "says NCO Motol.
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Life in a time of pandemic

Stories of different people during a pandemic
author

Boris Németh

professional photographer, .týždeň
Boris Németh (1979) He studied photography at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design in Bratislava. He completed his post-graduate studies in 2011 and currently works there a as part-time teacher of photojournalism. He has worked at .týždeň magazine as a photojournalist since 2006, while exhibiting in Slovakia and abroad. He has worked with documentary and photojournalism in several authorial cycles and series. Awards and grants: 2017 – The Best of Photojournalism – Honorable mention Magazine Story Opener, Honorable mention Magazine Recurring Feature or Series, The Best of Photojournalism, Slovak press photo (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), Slovak press photo, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2015 - Open society foundation, Open society foundation, Bratislava, Slovakia, Journalism Award (2011, 2013, 2014, 2016), Open society foundation, Bratislava, Slovakia, 2011 – Photographer of the year, Central European House of Photography, Bratislava, Slovakia, Czech press photo 2009, 2011, 2018, Czech press photo, Prague, Czech Republic, 2009 – Nomination World Press Photo – Joop Swart Masterclass, World Press Photo Publications: Premeny Slovenska (2012), Premeny Slovenska - 1150. výročie príchodu sv. Cyrila a Metoda na územie Veľkej Moravy (2013), Na ceste (2013), Identity - Premeny Slovenska (2016), Homeland (2016), Europe (2018), Krajina (2018), Hey Slovaks! (2018), Jar, ktorá zmenila Slovensko (2018), Bratislava - Košice a späť (2020). Collections: Slovak National Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia, Central European House of Photography Bratislava, Slovakia, Gallery of Rimavská Sobota, Slovakia, VÚB Foundation, Bratislava, Slovakia. borisnemeth.com