Cayman gets over 120k donated face masks

| 08/10/2020 | 17 Comments
Leslie Vernon, HMCI Logistics, and Patree Walcott, Secondment Operations and Logistics, accept the donation coordinated by CDEMA on behalf of HMCI

(CNS): The government has received a donation of personal protective equipment (PPE) as a result of the Cayman Islands’ membership of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). Despite having no community transmission at the moment or shortage of supplies, Cayman has received 3,640 N95 masks and 117,900 surgical masks, which will be added to the National Personal Protective Equipment register, officials said.

The supplies were donated by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Jack Ma Foundation and are valued at over US$195,000.

The donation comes shortly after the Cayman Islands was accepted into CDEMA on 28 August. Membership is due to be formalised with the filing of the Letter of Accession in the coming weeks.

“CDEMA was established to coordinate disaster relief and support mechanisms in the region,” said Home Affairs Minister Tara Rivers. “Through our membership with CDEMA, the Cayman Islands has gained access to pooled resources and logistics capability which we can readily tap into as required to bolster our resilience following a disaster or emergency.”

Rivers pointed out that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic PPE, such as face masks, were in high demand and difficult to obtain. “Through the collective efforts of the government and our people, the Cayman Islands has responded remarkably to the pandemic,” she said.

“However, the threat of COVID-19 remains and we must continue to be vigilant. The Cayman Islands Government is therefore very grateful for this show of support from CDEMA and the substantial donation from the WHO and the Jack Ma Foundation, as we move cautiously through the uncharted waters ahead of us.”

The face masks will be used for surge capacity at the emergency field hospital, which Cayman has been fortunate enough not to need. The supplies will also be given to government emergency shelters if activated. They can also be used by front-line personnel for first response agencies as needed and will be absorbed into the Health Services Authority’s supplies.

Officials noted that the Jack Ma Foundation has donated millions of face masks and PPE to the WHO to distribute to countries around the world to support efforts to tackle the spread of the virus, including the USA and New Zealand.


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Comments (17)

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  1. anon says:

    “They will be used for the field hospital and emergency shelters” i.e. they will just sit unused gathering dust. Why not distribute at least some of them to the public?.

  2. Anonymous says:

    That’s 120k masks to collect up off the beaches, off the coral, and out of the stomachs of marine creatures. Ugh. And they call it progress..

  3. Anonymous says:

    It’s about time someone gave us something. We have many poor people her that will need them in the upcoming months.

  4. Anonymous says:

    We will need them soon..

  5. Anonymous says:

    Whoop d doodle.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Save N95 for the next Dump 🔥. Donate the rest to where it is needed.

  7. Anonymous says:

    Given the number of two faced people around here, they’ll burn through those in no time.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Why?

  9. Anon says:

    Give ’em to somewhere that needs ’em – like the US.

  10. Anonymous says:

    Send them where they are NEEDED!!!!

    Curious how popular this idea would be; Send them to our neighbor to the south of us. Jamaica could use these way more than Cayman ‘might’ need them. May even mend a fence or two.

    (I happen to like the Jamaican people I have met here and the ones I met on my 5 visits there)

    • Anonymous says:

      Why Jamaica sent us nothing and wouldn’t even take their citizens back.

      We need to keep these masks here when they second wave of covid hits possibly within a month or two after we let enough people with it in.

    • Anonymous says:

      You may like the Jamaican people but you clearly have no idea where Jamaica is.

  11. Anonymous says:

    Let us be grateful for these face masks!!

    • Anonymous says:

      Why? Anybody asked for them? Do you think that during next Dump fire you will get N95 mask?

      Secondly, every single mask will end up on mount Trashmore or at sea.

      Coronavirus face masks ‘could have a devastating effect on the environment’

      • J|) says:

        You must feel dumb now, with the latest news and all.

        If I can throw beer bottles in mount trashmore I can throw PPE in there.

  12. Anonymous says:

    Another donated asset for CIG to sell at a profit!

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