Health

Covid-19 opens door for Jordan to export medical supplies

Amman, May 5 (efe-epa).- Covid-19 has brought weeks of strict restrictions to the Jordanians, but also an unexpected industrial opportunity to the economically struggling Arab country.

A few weeks ago, King of Jordan Abdullah told the US CBS TV that his country was in condition to export masks and medical supplies, a surprising announcement for a country under total lockdown.

“We hope that in the coming weeks, depending on our capabilities, we can export medical equipment to neighboring countries and the world,” the monarch said.

And it seems that Jordan has already started the engine. Jordanian manufacturers began to produce or to increase their output of face masks and medical supplies first to meet the domestic need, with an eye on exportation.

Mazen Tantash, representative of the Therapeutic Sectors at the Jordan Chamber of Industry told Efe that many textile companies have modified their process to produce masks and other necessary materials to fight the virus.

 “Before the spread of Covid-19, our production of facemasks was modest ranging between 30,000 and 40,000 masks per day, but now it ranges between 160,000 and 175,000,” he said.

Jordanian factories were also producing other items related to curbing the spread of the virus such as testing kits, surgical gowns, protective overalls and gloves, he pointed out.

“Our production of testing kits will reach 60,000 per day shortly,” he said

Fine Hygienic Holding, a manufacturer of sanitized tissues, was one of the Jordanian firms that seized the opportunity offered by the outbreak to operate new lines for producing a high quality face mask, the Fine Guard mask.

“We focus on the production of face masks, as we in Jordan currently produce 20,000 reusable masks per day,” Fine Hygienic Holding’s CEO James Lafferty told EFE.

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