For full press release click here.
The city of Gimhae, Korea, delivered 10,000 KF94 masks and 1,000 sets of personal protection equipment (PPE), which includes body suits, N95 masks, gloves, eye protection, and shoe covers, to the city of Lakewood on Monday, August 17. Gimhae and Lakewood have shared Friendship Cities status since 2006.
The masks and PPE were donated by Gimhae as an act of support, collaboration and friendship between the two cities.
In response to this donation Lakewood Mayor Don Anderson expressed his heartfelt gratitude. “We are so incredibly grateful for Gimhae’s generosity and support as we continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic here in Lakewood. This donation will make a significant difference in our ability to effectively suppress the spread of the virus, particularly for some of Lakewood’s most vulnerable residents. We look forward to many more future collaborations with Mayor Seong Gon Heo and the city of Gimhae.”
The donation was accompanied by a letter from Mayor Seong Gon Heo with the following message: “Gimhae City wishes to share the grieves and pains of health care professionals, officials, and people of Lakewood, who have been suffering on the front line… It is my hope that this small donation from Gimhae may help Lakewood get over with the COVID-19. I pray for Mr. Mayor and the people of Lakewood to stay healthy and well, and desire that the two cities will work together to continue mutual developments with the spirit of solidarity, engagement, and cooperation when the COVID-19 crisis ends.”
The city of Lakewood will be distributing the KF94 masks to community members, non-profits and local businesses soon. The PPE sets will be used by first responders and for city responses to clean-ups involving potential workplace exposures to COVID-19.
For help with its Sister and Friendship Cities, the city of Lakewood partners with the Lakewood Sister Cities Association (LSCA), an independent non-profit organization that was established to help promote meaningful cultural, educational, tourism, and trade exchanges between Lakewood and its Sister Cities and Friendship Cities. LSCA representatives provided the following response to Gimhae’s donation, “It gives us great pleasure to see the Lakewood Sister Cities Association bear yet another fruit in its efforts to promote friendship and mutual assistance with this announcement of a generous gift from Gimhae City… It is our hope that we all remain healthy and cement our relationship as sister cities in the near future.”
UPDATE: A previous version of this post include KF84 masks. All 10,000 masks are KF94.
