India donates 1.8 million N95 masks to Philadelphia city

Washington DC: India has donated 1.8 million N95 masks to Philadelphia, the largest city in the US state of Pennsylvania, to help in its fight against COVID-19, setting another example of a robust Indo-US partnership in the health sector.

The move comes after the Mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, made a request to India for the supply of masks to be used by the city’s frontline workers.

“Philadelphia receives 1.8 million N95 masks from India to aid their fight against COVID-19,” India’s Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, tweeted on Friday.

“Another example of the robust India-US reliable partnership in the health sector!” he added.

On October 5, at the request of the city mayor, 1.8 million N95 masks were delivered to Philadelphia for use of frontline workers.

Philadelphia is the sixth-most populous US city.

The move is also an indication of India’s capabilities in manufacturing Personal protective equipment (PPE) not only for domestic use but also exports, officials said.

India had also supplied hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug which is seen as a possible cure for COVID-19, to the US at the request of President Donald Trump.