The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $3 million grant to support the Indonesian government’s fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The grant will help fund the immediate purchase of key medical equipment, such as ventilators and personal protective gear, including gloves, aprons, and masks, for health workers, to support the government’s efforts to arrest the spread of the virus in the country. The grant will be financed by the Asia Pacific Disaster Response Fund.
“ADB is committed to supporting Indonesia in the fight to control COVID-19. This assistance will improve Indonesia’s ability to test people for the virus, manage severe cases, and reduce the risk of transmission among health workers,” said ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa. “We will continue our work with the government and various partners to provide flexible solutions that will help Indonesia minimize the health and economic impacts of this pandemic.”
As the virus continues to spread in Indonesia, the government has declared the COVID-19 outbreak an emergency disaster and adopted measures in line with the World Health Organization’s recommendations.
Original source: ADB
Published on 21 March 2020
