Prez mulls foreign aid to Wuhan

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will send a letter of solidarity to his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping this week outlining Sri Lanka's firm support to China as it battles to contain coronavirus and will also discuss sending aid into the country, particularly for the people of Wuhan, informed government sources told Daily Mirror yesterday.

President Rajapaksa is being kept up to date by the special task force set up to monitor and discuss preventive measures against coronavirus in Sri Lanka and will discuss with members of the task force on the possibility of sending aid to China.

Although there has been no official request for aid from China, President Rajapaksa is contemplating in assisting China in some way as several other countries including the US, North Korea, Japan and Pakistan have volunteered medical assistance and safety material such as masks and gloves to help the country combat the virus.

Pakistan has offered to send a field hospital to China as well as a group of doctors to help with the virus outbreak while North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un sent a letter to President Xi Jinping offering condolences and aid to help Beijing fight the coronavirus outbreak. The US has offered to send a team from the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to help with the virus outbreak while Japan has shipped masks.

Moreover, a UNICEF shipment of respiratory masks and protective suits for health workers landed in Shanghai last week to support China’s response to coronavirus. (Jamila Hussain)