From the evening of January 23 to 29, under the mobilization and deployment of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, and the active coordination of the Provincial Party Committee's Foreign Affairs Office, overseas Chinese and foreign friends have sent a batch of medical surgical masks to Hainan. Next, nearly 300,000 masks will be sent to Hainan from Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia and other countries in succession, protecting medical staff to give better treatments.

"Since the outbreak of pneumonia caused by the novel coronavirus, medical supplies, especially medical masks with high consumption, have been in short supply. We must find a way to grantee the supply. On the evening of January 23, following the unified deployment of the provincial party committee and provincial government, we used foreign affairs resources. We quickly contacted some overseas Chinese and foreign friends to ask them for help to purchase medical masks from overseas, "said Wang Sheng, director of the Provincial Party Committee's Foreign Affairs Office. They have contacted overseas friends in Thailand, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the United States, and other countries. It has received positive responses. At present, to help Hainan fight the epidemic, the number of medical masks purchased by overseas friends is still increasing.

Distance can't stop the concerns of overseas folks for their hometowns. For the past few days, what moved the staff of the Provincial Party Committee's Foreign Affairs Office most was that even on Chinese New Year's Eve, many overseas Hainanese gave up the opportunity to spend the holiday with their families. They went to the pharmacy to buy masks and then sent them to their hometowns to help prevent and control the epidemic in their hometowns.

"Medical staff, including people from all walks of life in Hainan, are struggling to win the battle for epidemic prevention and control. Although we are living abroad, we always care about our hometowns. For the prevention and control of the epidemic in our hometowns, we must make our efforts," said Sun Jiying, Honorary President of the Hainan Association of Macao, who stayed all night on Chinese New Year's Eve, and coordinated the purchase, packing, and delivery of 10,000 medical protective masks from Thailand to Hainan. These batches of medical surgical masks arrived on the first day of the Lunar New Year. It was also the first batch of medical materials that arrived in Hainan from abroad.

After rough statistics, Malaysian Hainanese entrepreneur Ding Cairong has purchased 30,000 medical masks, and Australian Hainanese entrepreneurs Ji Zhaozhi and Cai Shuangfei have purchased nearly 50,000 medical masks that have been sent to Hainan; 7,000 masks purchased by Thai Hainanese leaders such as Chen Wenqiu, Feng Erzhen,Yun Tianhong, and others have arrived in Hainan; Chen Shiyu, executive director of the Hainan Chamber of Commerce in Japan, assisted in coordinating the delivery of 81,000 masks to Hainan. Besides, Thai Chinese entrepreneur Li Linghai will also purchase 70,000 to 100,000 masks and plan to donate them to the Hainan Provincial Government for epidemic prevention and control.

To ensure the rapid clearance of different batches of medically needed supplies purchased from overseas, the relevant person in charge of Haikou Customs said that special services will be provided for medical supplies clearance so that they can be delivered to hospitals in the shortest time to ease the shortage of medical supplies and enhance confidence in epidemic prevention and control.

The Hainan Daily reporter also learned that the Foreign Affairs Office of the Provincial Party Committee has sent notes to the Consulate General of Cambodia in Haikou, the Consulate Generals of the relevant countries in Guangzhou, and other Consulates of 22 countries to inform the name, address, required materials, and contact information of the province's designated treatment hospital. The information is convenient for foreign embassies and consulates to fully understand the situation of epidemic prevention and control in Hainan. It also provides necessary guidance for foreigners in Hainan during the Spring Festival.