The Illinois governor organized “secret flights” to acquire millions of face masks and gloves from China for fear that the Trump government would confiscate them.
Shortages of basic equipment and supplies – from masks and gloves to chemical supplies and ventilators – in the US It has caused local and state governments to intervene to obtain these materials, either in the country or in other states, in order to cover their needs during the new coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19).
According to reports published Saturday by local media, reviewing data related to the more than $ 174 million that the midwest state of Illinois, which JB Pritzker governs, has been spent acquiring supplies during the current pandemic of the COVID-19, two invoices were identified, each for an amount of $ 888,275 , paid for “charter flights to Shanghai, China, to respond to COVID-19.”
The US newspaper The Chicago Sun-Times quoted a source familiar with the purchases, who said the purchases were kept secret “because we have heard reports that (US President Donald) Trump is trying to take over the Personal Protection (PPE) equipment in China and when it arrives in the US.”
Jordan Abudayyeh, press secretary to Governor Pritzker, declined to provide details to the press about the flights. However, he alluded to the “challenges” the state of Illinois has faced in obtaining personal protective equipment for front-line healthcare workers.
“The supply chain (of this protective gear) has been compared to the Wild West, and once you’ve purchased supplies, making sure they get to the state is another Herculean feat ,” the press secretary admitted to The Chicago Sun- Times .
Governor Pritzker has vehemently criticized the US president for his handling of the crisis unleashed by the new coronavirus. In an April 14 interview with CNN, he said he did not trust the Trump Administration’s promises regarding the delivery of medical supplies.
This information adds to the harsh criticism leveled at the United States. for the theft of personal protective equipment from other countries. Several European governments, such as Germany and France, accused the North American country of piracy and illegal confiscation of thousands of face masks that they had bought in the midst of the spread of the pandemic in their respective territories.
tmv / anz / nsr / hnb
Featured image: At Los Angeles International Airport, they unload personal protective equipment from a Chinese plane, April 10, 2020.
Source URL: HispanTV (use VPN in the US)
Translated by JRE/EF
