SOLOMON Forest Association (SFA) has responded to the global efforts to end the spread of the deadly coronavirus by pledging a $1 million donation to the campaign.
The money would be handed over to the Office of the Chinese Embassy in Honiara at a date to be fixed.
The SFA donation was announced in the presence of all Association’s Executive members at the SFA offices at Henderson in east Honiara yesterday.
“The donation to the coronavirus campaign is to show our sympathy for the people of China where so many innocent people have died from the virus. It simply shows that SFA and its members care,” one SFA executive told Island Sun.
“It is also to show our moral support to the people and government of China. We feel it is the least we can do,” the executive said.
SFA also donated yesterday some 900 N95 face masks to the Ministry of Health and Medical Services and the Immigration Division of the Ministry of Commerce, Industries, Immigration and Labour.
Officers from the two Ministries received the donation at a brief presentation yesterday.
The 900 protective face masks were flown in to help protect workers in front-line services as a precaution against the novel coronavirus. The face masks will be given to staff in the medical services, customs, immigration and quarantine departments.
Methoda Ifuimae, a health quarantine officer, thanked SFA on behalf of the government workers.
“We appreciate this support very much. As frontline workers the face masks would be very helpful in the type of work we do,” Ms Ifuimae said.
The N95 face masks cost SFA about $26, 000.
“We were unable to get more masks because since the coronavirus outbreak, supplies have been restricted,” the SFA Executive said.
