A military cargo plane landed in Prague at 2:30 a.m. with medical equipment gave a perfect illustration of the extent to which the world has allowed its supply chain systems to become dependent on China. The plane was carrying 150,000 coronavirus test kits that allow medical personnel to determine whether a person is carrying the virus within 30 minutes, rather than hours. It also brought with it desperately needed respirators, masks, protective clothing and disinfectants. The Czech government paid CZK 14m for the materials, which are needed to allow emergency and medical services to remain safe and uninfected. One-third of the materials in the plane will be provided to police, soldiers, firemen and border controls. The Czech Republic has ordered another 6 millions respirators from China along with 30 million masks and 250,000 sets of protective clothing but it will take until Sunday for the material to arrive.
Speaking on live television with masks on, several government ministers apologized for the lack protective gear for emergency services and people. This didn’t stop television news programs from running clips of the same ministers from two weeks ago dismissing warnings that the country was low on masks. There are currently 434 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Czech Republic. People are now required to wear masks in public buildings and on public transportation, even though they are impossible to buy.
