Coronavirus: Facebook donates 720,000 masks to healthcare workers

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has announced that his company will donate a total of 720,000 masks to healthcare workers who are tackling the coronavirus outbreak.

Mark Zuckerberg made the announcement regarding the donation on Facebook. (Bloomberg)

Facebook Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg on Monday announced that his company would be donating a total of 720,000 masks to health-care workers who are on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak. He said that Facebook had purchased these masks during the Australian wildfires.

"Health workers urgently need more protective gear. To help, Facebook donated our emergency reserve of 720,000 masks that we had bought in case the wildfires continued," Zuckerberg wrote in a Facebook post.

"We're also working on sourcing millions of more to donate. I hope you're all staying healthy and safe," he added.

Meanwhile, Tesla chief Elon Musk has also said that Tesla's shipment of face masks was in transit. "Yeah. We have a mask shipment stuck at LAX. Hopefully freed up soon," he wrote in a tweet responding to a tweet that called on Musk to help under the present circumstances.

Separately, Apple CEO Tim Cook has pledged to donate millions of masks to healthcare professionals in the US. Similarly, Alibaba founder Jack Ma too has pledged to donate emergency medical supplies including 1.8 million masks, 210,000 test kits, 36,000 protective suits, ventilators and thermometers to 10 Asian countries including Afganistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Additionally, Mahindra Group CEO has announced that his company would manufacture ventilators and offer its resorts as temporary care facilities. He has also pledged to donate his one month salary for the cause.