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DENVER (KDVR) — The COVID-19 pandemic may be unprecedented, but the Colorado National Guard says its guardsmen were prepared for it.

“Our test-supporting folks are part of a pre-trained chemical, biological, radiological response force that we’ve had for over a decade,” said Colonel Kevin Kick, with the Colorado National Guard.

“Those folks have expertise in personal protective equipment, decontamination, command and control. They’ve got a medical component that knows how to work within these kind of confines,” he added.

That enhanced response force is based in Aurora.

Seventy of its members assisted the State Emergency Operations Center and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in administering 900 COVID-19 tests to residents and staff at long-term care facilities in Colorado.

“I think we’re seeing that across the country and across the state—a place where our high-risk population is kind of together. So we want to take extra care to plan through and work through understanding that and responding to it,” said Colonel Kick.

The tests resulted in 20 positive cases in facilities in Broomfield, Thornton and Colorado Springs.

“It allows those people running the facilities and our state and county leaders to make better decisions on how to isolate those folks affected and how to prevent the continued spread of COVID-19,” Kick told FOX31.

He says this is the latest in a continued effort to fight the spread of COVID-19.

A total of 270 Colorado National Guard members are currently working with the city and county of Denver to help serve the homeless population.

“They’re providing meals. They’re doing some of that routine, day-to-day labor (as folks become short staffed). We’re really there to lend a hand wherever they can,” said Kick.

“It’s a great plan by our civilian partners to make sure that that potential at-risk population has the ability to stay socially distanced, and has the ability to get a little support during a difficult period of time,” he added.

More than 420 Colorado National Guard members are currently mobilized for the COVID-19 response.