Published 19:28 IST, March 30th 2020
Canadian PM says all face masks sent by China will be strictly evaluated
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said that the government would leave “no corners cut” to inspect the standards of the equipment and masks coming from abroad.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on March 29 that Canada will ensure that all medical equipment and the protective masks arriving from China were in perfect condition while speaking at the press conference. He announced that the supply will be thoroughly investigated by the Health Canada Department. Trudeau’s comments come after the Netherlands recalled over 600,000 defective medical face masks imported from China. Earlier, both Spain and the Czech Republic had received faulty test kits that failed to detect the positive cases of the COVID-19 accurately, as per the media reports.
Speaking at a press conference outside of his home in the capital, Ottawa, Prime Minister Trudeau reassured the Canadians that strict evaluation procedures would be run on the equipment coming from abroad. He said that the government would leave “no corners cut” to inspect the standards. The medics relied on the quality of the equipment, which at this time, was exceedingly crucial, Trudeau said. The government was going to ascertain that the quality of the equipment did not hinder the jobs of the medical professionals, he was further quoted saying.
Masks were ill-fitted
Holland’s Prime minister, Mark Rutte, had earlier cited similar reasons in the press conference saying that the frontline workers were directly exposed to the COVID-19 patients and that it was crucial that the protective garbs met the safety requirement. As per the media reports, the medics complained to the government that the masks exported by China were ill-fitted, and gaps were detected. This put the medical staff at the risk of contracting the pathogen while they were treating the patients.
As of March 28, the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa claimed that it has dispatched over 30,000 sought after N95 masks, at least 10,000 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits, 10,000 eyeshades, and over 50,000 doctors gloves in supply to Canada. The shipment, the embassy told the state broadcasters, was done as of March 29 as per Canada’s demands.
Updated 19:28 IST, March 30th 2020