NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Bahamas Striping Group of Companies (BSGC) has pitched in to assist government with its COVID-19 response readiness by supplying an assortment of protective gear to help prevent local spread of the virus.
“We felt compelled to act. We are all being impacted by this global medical crises which has claimed the lives of more than 26,000 people and affected citizens in over 200 countries and territories around the world, according to WHO data,” said BSGC’s President Atario Mitchell.
“It was importance for us to supply our frontline health care workers with sufficient protective gear. They need it, if they are to effectively manage coronavirus patients and not endanger their own lives while they work to detect, contain and treat this pandemic.”
Mitchell said: “Government cannot do this alone. It needs as much corporate support as possible to help shore up critical supplies given the global demand for personal protective equipment. We must safeguard medical professionals during this state of emergency.”
BSGC will generously donate 10,000 surgical face masks, 8,000 medical gloves, 5,000 KN95 protective masks, 2,000 protective face shields and 200 protective suits to the public health care system. The goal is to protect the wearer from airborne particulates and from liquid contaminants.
The supplies were ordered Friday, March 27. The shipment is expected to arrive in the country during the second week of April.
“As patriotic Bahamians, we recognize that we are all living under the threat of this global pandemic,” said Dr Allen Albury, BSGC’s managing director in a letter to Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis.
Albury wrote: “Covid-19 has no doubt unleashed an unprecedented challenge that governments and medical systems in first world nations are stretched beyond capacity and the death toll continues to rise. We could not sit idly by,”
The company’s donation is made on behalf of its Board of Directors, principals, management and staff.
Albury continued: “In May, our company is set to celebrate its 10 year anniversary for which we had set aside a budget for our celebrations; however, given the widespread social and economic impact of this pandemic, we have directed resources from this budget…to assist the government in its fight against this deadly virus.”
As of Sunday, 14 Bahamians have tested positive for COVID-19.