The global coronavirus pandemic has seen people reach out a helping hand within their communities, and around the world, such as the Chinese city of Enshi which has offered 5,000 face masks to help fight the virus in Galway.
Mayor of Galway Mike Cubbard said that just yesterday he was contacted by the Deputy Director of Enshi City Municipal Chinese Government, who asked about the situation in Galway and to offer the face masks.
Enshi is a city of roughly 780,000 people in the western Hubei province of China, to the west of Wuhan, also in Hubei, where the coronavirus pandemic first took hold.
Relations between Enshi and Galway began under the previous city Mayor Niall McNelis when he visited the city last year as part of a tour of China to promote investment in Galway, and remained thereafter.
“When COVID-19 broke initially I contacted them passing on my regards to the people and frontline workers in their city.
Yesterday, the Deputy Director “asked me to pass her regards to the people of Galway on behalf of their government regarding the Covid -19 outbreak.”
“There had about 200 confirmed cases in their city but all patients were healed thankfully,” Mike Cubbard said.
“As a friend of Galway, they want to help us where possible therefore have offered 5,000 face masks to me as they are aware there is a shortage of them.”
Mayor Cubbard said that he immediately got in touch with the CEO of the Saolta Hospital Group to offer them for use by front line medical staff here in Galway.
This gesture was “greatly received and appreciated by the CEO on behalf of all staff in Galway University Hospital.”
“As over 190 countries worldwide source such basic essentials like masks, gloves etc. I found this a very heartening gesture by the city of Enshi at this difficult time for both cities.”
