08 May 2020

Botswana has received a batch of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) from Shandong Province in China.

The PPE supplies include 30 000 surgical masks, 1 000 N95 masks and 6 000 surgical gloves, which will be used by frontline workers.
 
Speaking during the handover of the donation, the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Lemogang Kwape applauded the efforts of the Chinese government and its community in assisting Botswana in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.

He said the pandemic had revealed the strength of Botswana’s partnership with China, saying the bilateral partnership was a source of strength for both countries and needed to be nurtured for other future endeavors.

These existing long-standing partnerships between the two countries, which have grown over time, are a leading example of the positive benefits of being part of a global community during challenging times, he said.

Dr Kwape said the PPE donations were meaningful gestures as they would ensure the safety of the frontline workers.

For his part, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, Dr Zhao Yanbo highlighted that the Chinese donation to Botswana augmented the spirit of solidarity between the two countries.
 
He said the Shandong Province donation was the fifth batch of PPE donation from Chinese community alongside two donations from the Jack Ma Foundation, one from the Chinese government and another donation from Botswana based Chinese companies.

Dr Zhao stated that another batch from the Chinese government, which included 150 000 masks, 15 000 N95 masks, 5 000 PPEs, 7 000 goggles, 7 000 medical gloves and 3 000 shoe covers will arrive in Botswana. ENDS