Coronavirus: UAE sends aid to Iran to support fight against Covid-19

More than 32 tonnes of medical supplies sent to Iran, where at least 853 people have died and 15,000 cases have been reported

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The UAE has sent two planes loaded with critical medical aid to Iran to support the country's fight against coronavirus.

The two aircraft, which took off from Abu Dhabi on Monday, contained more than 32 tonnes of supplies, including thousands of pairs of gloves, surgical masks and protective equipment.

It was second batch of aid to be sent to Iran from the UAE this month.

On March 3, the Emirates carried out a coronavirus aid mission to Iran in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, sending a UAE aircraft carrying 7.5 tonnes of medical supplies and five WHO experts to help 15,000 healthcare workers.

 

"The UAE’s efforts in carrying out a second medical aid flight to Iran are consistent with our country’s founding humanitarian principles, which guide our belief that providing life-saving assistance to those experiencing distress is essential to serving the common good," said Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation.

"The coronavirus crisis has affirmed the effectiveness of the UAE’s aid approach, wherein the leadership and people stand shoulder to shoulder with nations in their time of need.:"

After the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Wuhan, the UAE sent medical supplies, including face masks and gloves, to China.

It also sent an urgent medical aid shipment containing 20,000 testing units and equipment to Afghanistan, which shares a porous border with Iran and has 21 confirmed coronavirus cases.

This month, the UAE also flew 215 people from different countries out of Wuhan to Abu Dhabi, in co-ordination with the Chinese government.

They are under medical quarantine at Emirates Humanitarian City and will be flown to their home countries when they are considered to be healthy.

Iran reported a record rise of 129 deaths from the coronavirus on Monday, pushing its total toll to 853 of nearly 15,000 confirmed cases.

On Sunday, the country imposed a week-long curfew on and closed the Masoume shrine, a major pilgrimage site in the city of Qom, the centre of Iran’s outbreak.

The official leading Iran’s response to the virus also expressed concerns that healthcare systems could be overwhelmed if the rate of new cases continued to climb.