Jack Ma's medical logistics due Mar 28

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Bangla Tribune Desk
Published : 22:23, Mar 25, 2020 | Updated : 23:01, Mar 25, 2020

Alibaba Group co-founder and executive chairman Jack Ma speaks during a news conference in Hong Kong, China, June 25, 2018. REUTERS/FILE PHOTOTwo special flights from China will soon arrive in Bangladesh carrying medical supplies donated by Jack Ma Foundation to tackle the spread of coronavirus in the country.


The first flight will take off from Changsha on Mar 28 with 30,000 coronavirus testing reagents. The second flight will leave Ningbo on the same day with 30,000 N95 medical masks, and 270,000 single-use surgical masks, reports UNB.
These special flights will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Bangladesh Ambassador to China Mahbub Uz Zaman, who is touch with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told UNB on Wednesday.
Earlier, Jack Ma, co-founder and former executive chairman of Alibaba Group, announced to help Bangladesh and some other Asian nations contain the transmission of COVID-19.
Ma promised to donate emergency supplies, including masks, test kits, protective suits, plus ventilators and thermometers to these countries.
The other nations are – Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the second batch of medical logistics including 10,000 testing kits, 10,000 personal protective equipment (PPE) and 1,000 infrared thermometers will arrive in Dhaka from Kunming on Thursday.
The medical logistics will be brought by a special aircraft of the Chinese government to help Bangladesh fight COVID-19. The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 6pm, an official at the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka told UNB.
In the face of this unprecedented global pandemic, China reiterated its strong commitment to helping friends in need and building a community of shared future for mankind.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said the government is working to have adequate stock of medical logistics to deal with the coronavirus situation.
"We need it. We need to have enough stock," he said, adding that the government is also allowing private companies to import testing kits and other medical logistics.
China recently announced its decision to donate emergency medical supplies, including a large number of test kits, to Bangladesh to fight coronavirus.
This Chinese Emergency Humanitarian Aid Project includes coronavirus test kits for 10,000 people, 15,000 medical N95 masks, 10,000 medical protective clothing and 1,000 infrared thermometers.
Meanwhile, local companies have started producing PPEs and masks.
Bangladesh announced its first coronavirus cases on March 8. It has so far confirmed 27 cases and five deaths.

 

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