Belgium is participating at the European level in a group purchase of face masks and other protective gear in the face of the coronavirus, the Federal Public Health Service announced on Thursday.
The order is part of a European group buy involving EU member states, the Health Service specifies.
The joint purchase enables time to be saved and states do not have to negotiate separately with producers and suppliers.
The Belgian government will be using the equipment specifically to support GPs and hospitals if there are shortages.
The government also insists on the necessity of "reserving the remaining masks as much as possible for those who really need them: medical staff and people infected with the coronavirus."
"For anyone in good health, a mask is of little use," SPF Health points out.
The Brussels Times
