The Chinese consumer electronics company Xiaomi donated tens of
thousands of FFP3 face masks to Italy's government to help stop the
spread of the coronavirus and to curb a shortage in the country's health
materials.
The official Xiaomi Italia Facebook page announced
Thursday it was sending the first of multiple shipments of
anti-coronavirus face masks to Italy's Civil Protection Department this
week. The Beijing-based company produces everything from smartphones to
laptops and earphones, and offered the FFP3 masks as a token of
gratitude for letting the electronics company settle in and feel "deeply
integrated" after arriving in the European country two years before.
Pictures of Xiaomi's face mask crate shipments featured a quote from the
ancient Roman philosopher Seneca.
"We are waves of the same sea,
leaves of the same tree, flowers of the same garden," Xiaomi wrote on
crates containing the Italian-bound face masks.
Italy's death toll
rose to 366 people Sunday amid more than 7,300 confirmed cases of the
COVID-19 illness. Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte signed a decree
last week for a quarantine affecting 15 provinces and more than
one-quarter of the country's 60 million people.
"The continuous growth and rapid expansion of Xiaomi in Italy are
closely linked to our users, fans and the general public; this gesture
therefore does not represent only a way to thank and to give our
support, but it is the tangible demonstration that we feel an integral
part of this country. And it is precisely this sense of belonging,
combined with deep solidarity, that imposes a high sense of
responsibility on all citizens as a global company," said Chew Shou Zi,
CFO and President of International Xiaomi Corporation, in a statement
provided to Mashable Italia over the weekend.
"We
were immediately welcomed with great enthusiasm and it is a source of
great pride to be able to offer our contribution today in favor of the
Department of Civil Protection which is carrying out, with commitment
and determination, an excellent job for the benefit of the whole
community," the Xiaomi chief financial officer added to the Italian tech
publication.
Italy has been the hardest country hit by the
coronavirus spread outside of Asia, with the COVID-19 illness having
first come under international scrutiny in Wuhan, China. As Mashable
Italia notes, Xiaomi's move is not the first token of solidarity between
the two countries. Foreign-born residents of Wenzhou City and the
community of Prato have set up fundraising campaigns for those potentially inflicted with the coronavirus.
"We are waves of the same sea, leaves of the same tree, flowers from the same garden"
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