Irish Defence forces loading and transporting vital PPE equipment after the first of many Aer Lingus flights returned to Dublin airport from China today #Covid_19 #covidireland #AerLingus #heroes pic.twitter.com/LjNJQtu2Pa
— Gary Ashe (@Gasheman) March 29, 2020
Members of the Irish Defence Forces loading PPE equipment after it arrived in Dublin Airport yesterday from China
This morning.
On RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, China’s Ambassador to Ireland He Xiangdong spoke to Rachael English about the shipments of personal protective equipment (PPE) on their way to Ireland from China, a deal in which Mr He and his staff have been involved.
The interview followed the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey claiming they have encountered problems with Chinese-made coronavirus testing kits and protective equipment.
It also followed the first batch of PPE arriving in Ireland from China, as part of a €208million deal, yesterday and being distributed around the country from last night.
Before the ambassador spoke to Ms English, the HSE’s Chief Operations Officer Anne O’Connor told Ms English that further shipments will arrive in Ireland via a total of ten flights by Wednesday this week.
She added:
“I think we have 300 flights coming with PPE over the coming weeks so that is very significant.”
At the end of her interview with the ambassador, Ms English and Mr He had this exchange…
Rachael English: “People may have seen reports over the past days from the Netherlands, the Government there saying that some face masks it imported from China, that there was a problem with them. Can you reassure people that that won’t be the case here?”
He Xiangdong: “I think that the HSE procurement department are working closely with the suppliers there in China. I think that we will try our best, do our best, together, to make sure that all the PPE will abide by the standards.”
English: “Well, listen, thank you very much for joining us…”
Listen back in full here
Faults in China-supplied coronavirus equipment reported in Europe (The Irish Times)
UPDATE:
#BREAKING
Aer Lingus flight en route to China to collect #PPE has returned to #Dublin shortly after take off. @VirginMediaNews“EI9018 has returned to Dublin following a bird strike…. it will be assessed..upon its clearance for travel a new departure time will be ascertained” pic.twitter.com/DJxtffGJkt
— Zara King (@ZaraKing) March 30, 2020
Glad the aircraft that had a bird strike landed safely. In this period of enforced staying in I have been catching up on my film watching, and just over the weekend I watched Sully, the film about the plane in New York that landed on the Husdson after a bird strike on both its engines. While I know this was only one engine, the film did bring home how important a good pilot is.
Why, oh why, is god trying to smite us… oh yeah, probably the same-sex marriage thing
and the oul abortions rob, don’t forget them.
Christ, yes. Quickly, dispatch the Virgin Mary-mobile to Blackrock for a few decades of the rosary!
Leo sez : I’d like to thank the Defence Forces that I didn’t give a toss about a few weeks ago when I was the worst Minister of Defence in decades.
Bird Flu in
Hu Flung Dung
The Chinese virus has lasted much longer than anything else they have produced.
You can be funny sometimes.
did they not steal it from the canadians?
Not true. Number 9 with extra beansprouts has been around since the late ’50’s.
https://youtu.be/7DqvweTYTI0
Had to be done..