COVID-19 crisis: US denies diverting shipment of masks bound for Germany

A spokesperson for the United States in Thailand reportedly denied diverting a shipment of face masks, which was bound for Germany, from an airport in Bangkok. The comment by the US embassy spokesperson comes after Berlin Secretary of Interior, Andreas Geisel, said that an order of approximately 200,000 masks bound for Germany had been confiscated in Bangkok and diverted to the US. Geisel further also called it an ‘act of modern piracy’. 

However, while speaking to an international media outlet, US embassy spokesperson said that the US government did not take any action to divert any 3M supplies that were destined to Germany. The spokesperson also added that they did not even have any knowledge of such shipment. Furthermore, the embassy said that they also remain concerned about the pervasive attempts to divide international efforts through ‘unsourced, unattributed, disinformation campaign’. 

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‘No act of piracy'

US President Donald Trump also shunned the accusations and reportedly said that ‘there had been no act of piracy’. Although, Geisel said that the consignment had been ‘confiscated’ in Bangkok and added that it was still trying to clarify the circumstances of how the masks, which were ordered form a German wholesaler, diverted. Meanwhile, US allies from Europe and South America have also reportedly complained about ‘Wild West; tactics and said that Washington has employed to outbid or block shipments of medical supplies to original buyers. 

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The accusations come at a time when leaders around the world are scrambling to secure protective gear to battle the coronavirus pandemic. US itself has been struggling to with the insufficiency of ventilators and other medical equipment. Trump also said that his administration is taking new action to ensure that America has the medical resources and equipment needed to fight the global pandemic. 

Meanwhile, coronavirus, which originated in China in December 2019, has now claimed over 70,000 lives worldwide as of April 6. According to the tally by international news agency, the pandemic has now spread to 208 countries and territories and has infected more than one million people. Out of the total infections, 271,000 have been recovered but the easily spread virus is continuing to disrupt many lives. Major cities have been put under lockdown in almost all countries including Spain, and the economy is struggling. 

(Image source: Unsplash) 

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