Collaborating With A Chinese Company, Barcelona Distributes PPE In Catalunya

Barcelona training sessions before La Liga suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Twitter @fcbarcelona)

JAKARTA - Barcelona is working with local authorities to distribute thousands of items of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic or corona virus pandemic.

According to a report from MARCA, Monday, April 13, the Barca Foundation is partnering with Chinese company Tencent to deliver PPE supplies throughout Catalonia.

Currently, 15 thousand PPE items have been submitted to hospitals in Catalonia. Further shipments from China are expected to arrive next week.

Barcelona will fund all of the medical deliveries the Foundation makes during the outbreak, while the Global Anti-Pandemic Fund finances the items itself.

The foundation has also provided a number of assistance to local residents affected by the pandemic. They handed over supplies of food and medicine.

Barcelona's neighbors Espanyol and Girona have also confirmed a similar scheme to distribute medical supplies to other parts of the region.

This is not the first time Barcelona have taken proactive steps in fighting the effects of the coronavirus pandemic in Spain. Previously they distributed at least 30 thousand masks that were handed over to the Catalan government health office.

The @FundacioFCB handles large donation of medical material from technology giant @TencentGlobal to help battle against the spread of # COVID19

- FC Barcelona (from 🏠) (@FCBarcelona) April 12, 2020

Barcelona also donated their facilities for use by health authorities and research projects, including the club's home, Nou Camp, which is now being used as a sample collection point for the prevention of COVID-19 transmission.

Not only that, Las Blaugranas launched a mentoring program with Red Cross volunteers named "T'Acompanyem a casa" (meaning we accompany you at home), which is in the form of telephone or face-to-face services for official club members over 80 years of age.