Problems also with Poland and Turkey – Outrage in Rome – Di Maio: Call from the Czech Foreign Ministry that the masks come by Tuesday.
Rome. Italy accuses Poland and the Czech Republic of stopping and confiscating a Chinese supply of masks and devices. The two independent transports were confiscated at the respective borders, the Roman daily “La Repubblica” reported.
The Italian health authorities speak of a “serious and absurd” incident. The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs then put pressure on Warsaw. “We are speechless in the face of reports from EU countries stopping healthcare supplies purchased from Italy. We will not allow social selfishness to become the national policy of some EU Member States,” protested Ettore Fiano, a Socialist MP. “This behavior is an affront to Italy and endangers national health,” protested the parliamentary leader of the opposition Forza Italia in the Senate, Anna Maria Bernini.
Delivered in the next two days
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said he had received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Prague and the assurance that the respirators would be delivered in the next two days. Another 200,000 respirators that Italy has purchased have been stopped in Turkey. Italy is in the process of fixing all problems with the supply of sanitary material.
Respirators are in greater demand than ever in Italy, which has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The prosecutor’s office in the southern Italian city of Bari opened an investigation after fewer respiratory masks were delivered to regional health authorities than ordered. Respiratory masks were also offered to health authorities at significantly inflated prices.
Minister admits mistakes
The Czech authorities have confiscated more than 100,000 face masks intended for Italy, which is particularly affected by the corona virus. Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek admitted the mistake on Sunday. This was not done on purpose, said the social democrat of the agency CTK.
We are looking for a way how the masks could still reach their destination in the beginning of next week. The shipment was declared as an aid delivery from the Chinese Red Cross Society to Chinese compatriots in Italy. It was seized in the course of a major raid on price raiders in a warehouse in Lovosice in northern Bohemia.
In the Czech Republic, there were only 1,047 confirmed infections with the new coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 until Sunday morning. The government of the EU member state has mandated that all people in public must wear mouth and nose covers. Protective masks and protective clothing have become scarce goods even for medical personnel.
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