Apple donates 10m face masks to healthcare workers for coronavirus relief effort
Apple will donate 10m face masks to US healthcare workers as part of worldwide efforts to halt the spread of coronavirus.
Chief executive Tim Cook said the tech giant would also provide “millions more” masks for the hardest hit regions in Europe.
“Apple has sourced, procured and donated 10m masks to the medical community in the United States,” Cook said in a video posted on social media.
“These people deserve our debt of gratitude for all of the work they are doing on the front line.”
It comes after US vice president Mike Pence said the iPhone maker would commit 9m N95 masks to healthcare efforts.
Apple is the latest Silicon Valley firm to throw resources behind the Covid-19 effort after Facebook donated its emergency reserve of 720,000 masks to health workers.
The social media firm had bought the equipment for use during wildfires.
The UK government yesterday said it had ordered 10,000 ventilators from vacuum cleaner maker Dyson, while Ford, Tesla and General Electric are among other manufacturers to commit to supplying more medical equipment.
Cook added: “I also want to take a moment to recognise the people that we’re all counting on to work, from the warehouse workers to the delivery people, to the people who are stocking the shelves in our local supermarkets and pharmacies.”