Virus Outbreak: Taiwan donates half a million masks to CanadaHUMANITARIAN AID: At least 120,000 Taiwanese have agreed to donate their unused quota of masks to other countries through a mobile application introduced on MondayBy Lin Chia-nan and Huang Pei-chun / Staff reportersThe government has donated 500,000 masks to Canada, while at least 120,000 Taiwanese have joined a humanitarian aid initiative by donating their share of masks to other countries through a mobile application to help them contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Miguel Tsao, right, and Canadian Trade Office in Taipei Executive Director Jordan Reeves, center, are pictured at the foreign ministry on Wednesday last week after Taiwan donated 500,000 masks to Canada. Excluding the gift to Canada, Taiwan this month has donated more than 18 million masks to 15 diplomatic allies, the US, 19 European nations, countries targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy, Latin America and Caribbean countries, and Japan. Taiwan now produces nearly 17 million masks per day, up from a daily output of 1.8 million in January, 3.2 million in February, 10 million in the middle of last month and 15 million at the beginning of this month, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has said that daily mask production could reach 20 million.

Source: Taipei Times April 28, 2020 15:56 UTC