f31/03/2020
French President Emmanuel Macron wears a mask during
his visit to a military hospital in Mulhouse in eastern France
on March 25, 2020. © Mathieu Cugnot, AFP/POOL
Text by:FRANCE 24
French President Emmanuel Macron was to visit a mask factory in western France on Tuesday amid a continuing row over the acute shortage of masks for health workers battling the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 3,000 people in the country.
Macron, who wore a protective mask during a visit to a military field hospital in hard-hit Mulhouse last week, is due to tour a factory operated by Kolmi-Hopen, France's leading mask producer, near the city of Angers.
His visit comes as countries around the world are racing to boost production of protective gear for key workers on the coronavirus frontline, and competing for imports of masks from China.
France is currently contending with a serious shortage of FFP2 health masks, the most effective in protecting against the coronavirus.
In response to the shortage, the French government has instructed manufacturers and researchers to work on developing alternative prototypes to protect health workers and the population from the spread of the coronavirus.
It has condemned incidents in which people broke into emergency vehicles and stole supplies of protective medical equipment.
Près de 100 tonnes de matériel médical dont + de 5 millions de masques viennent d’arriver en France par vol Gargo @AirFranceFR.
Merci aux pilotes et personnels qui accomplissent un travail exemplaire pour approvisionner nos soignants et rapatrier nos compatriotes. #TousMobilisés https://t.co/WzCPotSd5t— Elisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) March 29, 2020
According to the Directorate General of Health, France has a production capacity of six million masks per week.
Healthcare staff say they are in urgent need of FFP2 health masks at the country's hospitals, where the death toll from the pandemic rose to more than 3,000 on Monday.
"The public authorities and all those involved in the national production network should join forces to provide the 15 million FFP2 masks we need every day," wrote several doctors and other surgery personnel in a press release last week.
"Our country is counting on us to face this pandemic, but it is unacceptable to make us take ill-considered risks because under our coats, we are still human beings, as vulnerable as anyone else," they added.
Several companies have already donated masks to the government.
French luxury label LVMH says it has ordered 40 million health masks from a Chinese supplier to help France cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
French President Emmanuel Macron was to visit a mask factory in western France on Tuesday amid a continuing row over the acute shortage of masks for health workers battling the coronavirus epidemic that has killed more than 3,000 people in the country.
Macron, who wore a protective mask during a visit to a military field hospital in hard-hit Mulhouse last week, is due to tour a factory operated by Kolmi-Hopen, France's leading mask producer, near the city of Angers.
His visit comes as countries around the world are racing to boost production of protective gear for key workers on the coronavirus frontline, and competing for imports of masks from China.
France is currently contending with a serious shortage of FFP2 health masks, the most effective in protecting against the coronavirus.
In response to the shortage, the French government has instructed manufacturers and researchers to work on developing alternative prototypes to protect health workers and the population from the spread of the coronavirus.
It has condemned incidents in which people broke into emergency vehicles and stole supplies of protective medical equipment.
Près de 100 tonnes de matériel médical dont + de 5 millions de masques viennent d’arriver en France par vol Gargo @AirFranceFR.
Merci aux pilotes et personnels qui accomplissent un travail exemplaire pour approvisionner nos soignants et rapatrier nos compatriotes. #TousMobilisés https://t.co/WzCPotSd5t— Elisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne) March 29, 2020
According to the Directorate General of Health, France has a production capacity of six million masks per week.
Healthcare staff say they are in urgent need of FFP2 health masks at the country's hospitals, where the death toll from the pandemic rose to more than 3,000 on Monday.
"The public authorities and all those involved in the national production network should join forces to provide the 15 million FFP2 masks we need every day," wrote several doctors and other surgery personnel in a press release last week.
"Our country is counting on us to face this pandemic, but it is unacceptable to make us take ill-considered risks because under our coats, we are still human beings, as vulnerable as anyone else," they added.
Several companies have already donated masks to the government.
French luxury label LVMH says it has ordered 40 million health masks from a Chinese supplier to help France cope with the coronavirus outbreak.
(FRANCE 24 with REUTERS)
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