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Switzerland sends coronavirus aid to Ukraine

A woman inspects her house damaged by shrapnel in the village of Staromihailovka, Donetsk.
A woman inspects her house damaged by shrapnel in the village of Staromihailovka, Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine on May 19, 2020. Keystone / Dave Mustaine

Another shipment of Swiss aid material has found its way to the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, including equipment needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday, 19 trucks overcame quarantine restrictions and wildfires to make the delivery. On board were medical supplies, including 46,000 Covid-19 testing units, protective suits, masks and contactless thermometers. Around a fifth of people infected in the region are medical workers.

The trucks also brought 300 tons of aluminum sulphate and 15 electrolyte devices to purify water at the Vodadonbassa waterworks, which supplies around four million people.

The Donetsk region is still an area of conflict and has been made even more perilous for the local population by the outbreak of coronavirus.

The Swiss humanitarian aid convoy, the 12th such shipment of supplies to the region, cost CHF3.5 million ($3.8 million). It was accompanied by four members of Swiss Corps for Humanitarian Aid.

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