The Tribune

AS the novel coronavirus continues to spread, Bahamas Striping Group of Companies has pitched in to assist government with its response by supplying an assortment of protective gear.

“We felt compelled to act. We are all being impacted by this global medical crisis which has claimed the lives of more than (30,000) people and affected citizens in over 200 countries and territories around the world, according to WHO data,” said BSGC’s president, Atario Mitchell.

“It was important for us to supply our frontline health care workers with sufficient protective gear. They need it if they are to effectively manage coronavirus patients and not endanger their own lives while they work to detect, contain and treat this pandemic.”

He added: “Government cannot do this alone. It needs as much corporate support as possible to help shore up critical supplies given the global demand for personal protective equipment. We must safeguard medical professionals during this state of emergency.”

BSGC will generously donate 10,000 surgical face masks, 8,000 medical gloves, 5,000 KN95 protective masks, 2,000 protective face shields and 200 protective suits to the public health care system.

The supplies were ordered Friday and the shipment is expected to arrive in the country during the second week of April.

“As patriotic Bahamians, we recognise that we are all living under the threat of this global pandemic. COVID-19 has no doubt unleashed an unprecedented challenge that governments and medical systems in first world nations are stretched beyond capacity and the death toll continues to rise. We could not sit idly by,” said Dr Allen Albury, BSGC’s managing director in a March 27 letter to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.

The company’s donation is made on behalf of its board of directors, principals, management and staff.

“In May, our company is set to celebrate its 10-year anniversary for which we had set aside a budget for our celebrations; however, given the widespread social and economic impact of this pandemic, we have directed resources from this budget…to assist the government in its fight against this deadly virus,” Mr Albury wrote.