PHNOM PENH, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Blue Sky Rescue Team, one of non-governmental organizations (NGO) in China, has sent a team of 10 volunteers and donated medical supplies to Cambodia to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wang Yi, leader of the Blue Sky Rescue Team in southwest China's Guizhou Province, handed over the items, including 280,000 masks, 200 disinfection machines, and 900 protective suits, to Cambodia's Council of Ministers secretary of state Kemreat Viseth, chairman of Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF), at a ceremony held in Phnom Penh on Monday.
Speaking at the event, Wang said a team of 10 volunteers had arrived in Cambodia last Tuesday to participate in a Joint Action for Defeating the COVID-19 under the China NGOs-launched Silk Road Community Building Initiative.
The volunteers have been disinfecting public spaces, schools, quarantine centers, hospitals, markets, forts, and state premises in capital Phnom Penh and provinces, he said, adding that they have also shared their experience in curbing the COVID-19 with Cambodian staff.
"We hope that our humanitarian activities in Cambodia will contribute further to deepening our people-to-people bonds," Wang said.
Viseth expressed his sincere thanks to the Blue Sky Rescue Team for dispatching the volunteers, along with medical supplies, to Cambodia, saying that their mission was vital to help Cambodia stem the virus spread.
"A friend in need is a friend indeed," he said. "This assistance is a new testament to the profound friendship between Cambodia and China, and it truly reflects generous contribution from the people of China to the people of Cambodia in this difficult time."
"This mission will not only help prevent the spread of this highly contagious disease, but also contribute further to enhancing people-to-people ties between our countries," he added.
It was the second time the CSAF had received the medical aid from Chinese NGOs for the COVID-19 fight, Viseth said, adding that the organization first got the donation of anti-pandemic medical supplies from the China Foundation for Peace and Development last month.
The batch of medical supplies was just one of many donations that the Chinese government, NGOs and people had provided to Cambodia for the COVID-19 fight.
In March, the Chinese government sent to the country a team of doctors specializing in fighting against COVID-19, along with tons of necessary medical equipment and supplies.
Cambodia has so far recorded a total of 122 confirmed cases of the COVID-19, with 120 patients cured, Health Minister Mam Bunheng said in a press conference here on Monday.
He said although the kingdom had detected no new COVID-19 positive cases for the last three weeks, the risk of new infections remains high given the fact that some countries in the region and in the world are still being hit hard by the virus.
The minister urged people to remain extra-vigilant, encouraging them to wear face masks, to wash hands with alcohol or antibacterial hand gel frequently, and to avoid mass gatherings. Enditem
