To the best offer. Masks ordered in China by the Grand Est region were bought directly by the Americans on the tarmac of Chinese airports, in particular that of Shanghai, from where the delivery planes must leave. The latter therefore change their flight plans to head for the United States instead of France.
It is the president of the Grand Est region, Jean Rottner who tells the story of this unforgiving universe at the microphone of RTL. Fortunately, his men managed to get this precious commodity through in times of crisis.
"The Americans take out the cash"
“Me, I have a small cell at the regional level which works very hard to, with the sponsors, be able to win these markets. And indeed, on the tarmac, the Americans take out the cash and pay three or four times for the orders we have made, so we really have to fight. And I was very happy to see this plane arrive at our house last night, ”he added.
Two million surgical masks ordered by the Grand Est region from China were delivered overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday at Basel-Mulhouse airport.
He arrived well !! Welcome
We are happy to allow these masks to be dispatched as soon as possible to the @regiongrandest care structures in conjunction with our friends from the departments! pic.twitter.com/w1LZjaSCrq
An order from the Grand Est region
Jean Rottner, himself an emergency doctor in Mulhouse, the Alsatian city where this evangelical gathering took place where the Covid-19 has spread widely, has ordered a total of five million masks, financed by the budget of the region. The Grand Est was the first region to receive its own order for masks placed in addition to national orders.
Other regions followed. And the president of the Paca region, Renaud Muselier, also complained on Tuesday of such a practice on the part of American buyers.
Emmanuel Macron, criticized for the lack of masks that France has to face, notably promised Tuesday "full independence" by the end of the year for the production of masks, during a visit to a manufacturing plant in Anjou. In the meantime, France has ordered "over a billion and a half masks in France and abroad" to meet the needs linked to the Covid-19 epidemic, Health Minister Olivier said on Wednesday Veran.
Newsletter - The essentials of the news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
The United States, which has been slow to take measures to stop the spread of the coronavirus on its territory, is also looking for masks. No matter the cost...