A plane from China, conveying 5.5 million medical masks, is expected at Roissy airport this Sunday late afternoon, the day after the government announced a massive order for equipment against the Covid-19, says AFP, citing a source in the prefecture delegated to airports.
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A cargo plane from Shanghai has almost 100 tonnes of medical equipment on board, including 5.5 million masks, Air France confirmed.
On Saturday, the government announced the establishment of an air bridge with China to safely transport cargo of masks, which caregivers are sorely lacking to protect themselves from the coronavirus epidemic.
France has thus ordered " more than a billion " masks, notably from China, according to the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. Healthcare workers need 40 million masks per week.
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Other flights are expected in the coming days to transport this essential protective equipment. Paris-Vatry (Marne) airport, which has a cargo area dedicated to freight, awaits " a first flight tomorrow (Monday), then a series of flights spread over a fortnight initially ," with at least a daily flight by wide-body aircraft, Antonov-124 aircraft, said the site's communications department.
They "will transport an average of 100 tonnes of cargo each, with masks and medical equipment in varying quantities" from China. Each plane will contain at least ten million masks.
According to government figures, France produces 8 million masks every week, which makes it essential to import these medical materials.
