Image Credit: CFJC Today / Kent Simmonds

By Jill Sperling

COVID-19

Local First Nations communities gifted with masks and sanitizer from Taiwan

Oct 9, 2020 | 4:20 PM

KAMLOOPS — Taiwan has been donating masks to Canada in an act of diplomacy, and Friday (Oct. 9), the director general of an office representing the people of Taiwan gifted Kamloops-area First Nations communities with 6,000 masks and sanitizing materials.

Andy Chen is the director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Vancouver. He says Taiwan has donated more than 55 million masks to countries all over the world since the beginning of the pandemic.

Taiwan has been a leader in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, with only 527 cases out of a population of about 23 million. Chen attributes the low number to the use of masks.

“This is why many countries can see that Taiwan is a model for fighting COVID-19,” Chen said. “In Taiwan, why we can do it better than other countries, I think that wearing masks does help, so please wear a mask as much as you can.”

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The donation of masks was received with much thanks from local First Nation leaders, who in turn provided the director general with gifts.

For those working in healthcare in these communities, masks are considered one of the greatest defenses against the virus.

“The mask is the most important tool we have right now,” said Colleen Lessmann, health director for Qwemtsin Health Society. “These gifts are going to stop the spread in our communities, or at least slow it down. They’re going to protect us and probably save lots of lives.”