The Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, wishes to respond to the glaring lack of equipment for health professionals fighting against the coronavirus. Saturday, at a press conference alongside Edouard Philippe, he announced that an order of a billion masks had been placed with Chinese companies. But how is it going to happen in concrete terms?
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All stocks should not arrive at once, the order is distributed over time. Each week for several months, batches of ten million masks should arrive thanks to an airlift between China and France.
40 million masks consumed each week
The logistics operation is such that the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran, was cautious about its smooth running: "I [will not be sure that imports are actually on our national territory only the minute the plane that must bring the masks [landed] on the tarmac of the French airports concerned, "he said.
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In the meantime, France continues to draw on its stocks. Olivier Véran concedes, the reservations are not infinite. The government has also announced that some companies have increased their production of masks. Currently France can manufacture 8 million per week, far from the 40 million consumed.