Lao and Chinese communities in Laos offer aid relief to Wuhan

VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): Local Lao and Chinese expat communities have donated hundreds of thousands of face masks, safety glasses and medical gloves and caps to support the city of Wuhan’s efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak.

The communities providing the supplies include the Laos-China Friendship Association, Hunan province Chamber of Commerce in Laos, Chamber of Commerce of the Chinese Community in Laos, Guangdong province Chamber of Commerce in Laos, and Yunnan Construction Company.

Minister of Energy and Mines, Dr Khammany Inthirath, who is President of the Laos-China Friendship Association, representing the association, handed over 10,000 hygiene masks and 10,000 pairs of hygiene gloves to the Chinese Embassy in Vientiane last week.

Some 350,000 hygiene masks, 90,000 medical gloves, and 25,000 caps were handed to the embassy by the Hunan province Chamber of Commerce in Laos. The supplies were shipped to China on Jan 31.

The Chamber of Commerce of the Chinese Community in Laos gave 202,000 hygiene masks and 60,000 pairs of medical gloves, which have also been shipped to China.

The Guangdong province Chamber of Commerce in Laos provided 30,000 hygiene masks and 1,000 protective glasses, which were sent to China on Jan28.

Another 30,000 hygiene masks were sent to Wuhan by a Yunnan province construction company in Laos on Feb 1.

According to the Chinese Embassy to Laos, the Laos-China Friendship Association is working with various sectors to mobilise materials to help people in China affected by the coronavirus.

While no confirmed cases of the virus have been found in Laos, the Chinese Embassy and the Lao government have stepped up cooperative efforts and communication to assist each other in preventing an outbreak.

Amidst the rising number of coronavirus infections in China, Lao authorities have prepared a sufficient supply of face masks in Laos as well as some to send to China. - Vientiane Times/Asia News Network