On top of their earlier donation of 500,000 face masks, Alibaba Foundation and Jack Ma Foundation have also committed to send thousands of medical-grade, full-body protective suits and face shields to the Philippine government to scale up its response to the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III announced today.

Secretary Dominguez said this additional donation from the two foundations will further boost the government’s sustained efforts to contain the spread of the virus in the country, which has been placed under a state of calamity by President Duterte following the sustained community transmission of COVID-19.

“On behalf of President Duterte and the Filipino people, we again thank Mr. Jack Ma for his generosity. We are optimistic that with his invaluable support, not only here but in other countries as well, we can overcome this global challenge and eventually win the battle against COVID-19,” Secretary Dominguez said.

The protective gear to be donated by the Jack Ma Foundation and Alibaba Foundation is comprised of a one-piece, non-woven, sterilized suit complete with a hat, coat, and pants.

The suit, which includes a face shield, protects the wearer from contamination from direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or secretions of COVID-19 patients.

According to the office of Mr. Ma, the donation of full-body protective suits and face shields is being made to “support the work of frontline healthcare workers” in the fight against COVID-19.

Earlier, Mr. Ma committed to begin delivery of his donation of 500,000 masks through the Jack Ma Foundation and the Alibaba Foundation.

“I want to personally send my best regards and hope we can do something for the Philippines to fight this virus,” Mr. Ma said in a phone conversation with Secretary Dominguez last March 18. “I hope that I can do something more. For now, we have decided to give 500,000 masks to the Philippines.”

Mr. Ma also provided Secretary Dominguez with a downloadable electronic handbook that can help Philippine doctors, nurses, and other health workers avoid infection while treating patients stricken with the virus.

The handbook, published by the Jack Ma Foundation, draws on China’s lessons learned from fighting COVID-19 and is co-authored by several medical experts who served at the frontlines of China’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus.

The handbook can be downloaded here: https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com/

Mr. Ma informed Secretary Dominguez that by implementing the good practices codified in the handbook, “96 percent of the patients recovered, and none of the doctors or nurses got infected. So, I’m putting it online and I hope you can share it with the doctors and nurses and the hospitals in need.”

President Duterte has placed the entire Philippines under a state of public health emergency and imposed an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon in a bid to keep people in their homes and prevent the rapid spread of the highly infectious pathogen.

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