Taipei City Fire Department

The world is still grim from the pandemic of  COVID-19, and the number of confirmed cases in Japan has exceeded 70,000 so far. In response to the request of Miyagi Prefecture Government of Japan, Taipei City Government donated medical supplies such as gloves and isolation gowns to help fight the pandemic. After receiving the supplies on August 6, 2020, Miyagi Prefecture Government made a video to express their gratefulness which was posted on Facebook.
 
Japan has been greatly affected by COVID-19. The pandemic reached its peak in April this year, and the Japanese government declared the state of emergency to Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, Osaka, Hyogo, and Fukuoka prefectures. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games which was originally scheduled to be held in August were postponed to 2021 as well. Although the daily new cases decreased from April to June, the pandemic became more serious in July after the declaration was lifted. In August, the number of confirmed cases hit new highs in daily, and it has not yet subsided.
 
Mayor Ko received a letter from Miyagi Prefecture Government on April 22, 2020. The letter was written by the Governor Murai, and it stated that the confirmed cases in Miyagi Prefecture have gradually increased since the first confirmed case occurred on February 29, 2020. The demand for medical supplies from the prefecture’s medical institutions is gradually rising. Considering the outbreak of the pandemic, they were wondering if Taipei City could donate medical supplies such as gowns and medical examination gloves to help them fight against COVID-19.
 
To prevent the outbreak of COVID-19 around the world, assisting our sister cities to jointly fight the epidemic without jeopardizing the prevention and preparation of Taipei City, could help the circulation of pandemic prevention and establish a mutual support mechanism. Therefore, Taipei City decided to donate medical supplies to Miyagi Prefecture, which includes 3,000 pairs of medical examination gloves and 1,500 isolation gowns. These supplies were delivered to Miyagi Prefecture Government on August 6, 2020, and the government posted a video on their Facebook page to express their gratefulness because of Taipei City’s assistance. The supplies have been distributed to the Tohoku University Hospital, which is the Key Hospital of fighting COVID-19 in Miyagi Prefecture. The hospital will carefully use the supplies to prevent the spread of the COVID-19.
 
In addition to the donation, Taipei City Government has also shared the policies and pandemic prevention SOP of quarantine hotels, cabs, and other information of fighting COVID-19 with sister cities. In the future, Taipei City will continue to help other cities to save lives. “Taipei is helping!"