DAR ES SALAAM, April 8 (Xinhua) — The Chinese embassy in Tanzania on Wednesday donated the first batch of medical supplies to Tanzania to help enhance the capacity of the east African nation to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embassy in partnership with two Chinese companies of Hunan Dongfang Jinxi International Corporation Limited and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation donated 100,000 face masks, 1,000 protective clothing, and 150 forehead thermometers.
The medical supplies were handed over to the Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ummy Mwalimu, by the Chinese Ambassador to Tanzania, Wang Ke, in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.
Speaking before the donation, Wang said China and Tanzania have been good friends who stood together through thick and thin.
After COVID-19 broke out in China, the Chinese government and people were suffering from the grave pain and fighting resolutely against the virus and our brotherly friends of Tanzania stood in solidarity with us, said Wang.
When the epidemic situation in Wuhan was severe, China took good care of the 500 Tanzanian students as if they were the sons and daughters of the Chinese people, she said.
“Up to now, none of them has contracted the virus,” said the Chinese envoy.
In her response, Mwalimu thanked the Chinese embassy and the two Chinese firms, saying the donation will help the government’s efforts in fighting the spread of the viral disease.
Mwalimu said the medical supplies will be distributed to medical personnel that are at the forefront of fighting spread of the disease and to airports and bus stations across the country.
“Our first priority is to protect the medical personnel from being infected with COVID-19,” she said, adding that the medical supplies by the Chinese embassy showed that the friendship between China and Tanzania was everlasting.
Mwalimu also thanked China for protecting Tanzanian students in Wuhan from being infected with the disease.
Tanzania currently has 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with one death and five recovered cases.
