The Pakistani government was to receive 500,000 face-masks as the first part of a collection of emergency supplies from the Jack Ma Foundation on Wednesday morning.
Jack Ma, online retailer’s Chinese billionaire founder Ali Baba, has been on a quest to provide free supplies to countries fighting the coronavirus.
Chinese Consul General, in Karachi Li Bijian, declared the donation on Twitter. He said he would receive the emergency donation during a ceremony along with chief minister Murad Ali Shah.
Of those 500,000 masks, 50,000 are masks of N-95.
To date, the Jack Ma Foundation has provided materials to, among other countries, Italy, the USA and Ethiopia.
Ma also vowed to donate millions of emergency supplies to asiatic countries. As part of the agreement, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Thailand, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, the Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will provide emergency supplies.
Li said the second and third lots of emergency supplies (500,000 test kits, protective equipment, and thermometers on the forehead) would arrive within the week.
Earlier this week, the foundation said a joint donation of 1.8 million masks, 210,000 test kits, 36,000 pieces of protective equipment, ventilators and thermometers was being planned.
Pakistan had registered 990 identified coronavirus cases as of Tuesday night. Near to half is from Sindh. The province is currently at a lockdown.