In response to the health needs caused by the COVID-19 epidemic, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation arranged a humanitarian flight of Italian Cooperation services in support of assistance activities provided by Chinese authorities in the most affected areas of the country, in coordination with the Civil Protection Mechanism activated by the European Union.
The humanitarian transport, which took off from the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi, carried a 16-tonne load of personal protection medical and health material (face masks, overalls and protective goggles, gloves and thermometers) made available by the Chinese Embassy in Italy, and 2 tons of medical gear (specialist protective face masks for healthcare professionals, protective overalls for healthcare professionals, protective face masks) funded directly by Italian Cooperation services.
The material will be received by the Chinese authorities for use in the context of emergency response activities.
The loading operations carried out at the United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot (UNHRD) in Brindisi, were attended by the Ambassador in Rome of the People’s Republic of China in Italy, Li Junhua, accompanied by Chinese journalists, and a delegation from the Directorate-General for Development Cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Original source: DGDC
Published on 15 February 2020
