COVID-19: Justin Trudeau says Canada persuading US for medical supplies flow

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on April 7 that the government is keeping up the efforts to ensure the flow of medical supplies from and to the United States to fight the pandemic. During a press conference, Trudeau said that 500,000 N95 surgical masks, part of a batch of 4 million ordered by Ontario, should arrive on April 8.

“We have had constructive and productive conversations that have assured that this particular shipment comes through but we recognize there is still more work to do,” the Canadian PM told at the briefing.

Earlier, Ontario had complained that the shipment was blocked following an order signed by US President Donald Trump banning the export of personal protective equipment. In order to combat such impediments, Trudeau announced that Canada has made further progress under its plan to mobilise industries to provide vital, made‑in‑Canada protective gear and medical equipment to respond to the outbreak.

Read: Canada Making Up To 30,000 Ventilators: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

Domestic efforts

Government of Canada said that nearly 5,000 companies have offered their expertise and capacity to work together on various projects aimed at fighting the pandemic. Apart from the domestic efforts, Canada is working through over 22,000 submissions from companies interested or able to sell to Canada.

“Canadian companies are answering the call to protect our health care professionals with made-in-Canada solutions. This is exactly the kind of innovative, collaborative thinking we need to respond to this rapidly evolving pandemic,” said Trudeau in a statement.

Read: Trudeau Says Canada Won't Retaliate For US Mask Export Ban

Canada has reported nearly 18,000 cases of coronavirus and 381 deaths due to the infection. According to the latest report, over 1.4 million coronavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide with more than 82,000 deaths, overwhelming the health care facilities across the globe.

Read: COVID-19: Donald Trump Asks 3M To Limit Exports To Canada, Trudeau Calls It 'mistake'

Read: Canada Collaborates With Amazon To Distribute Medical Equipment Amid COVID-19 Crisis

(Image Credit: AP)