Riga, November 17, 2020 — U.S. Ambassador John Carwile presented the Latvian Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense with $135,000 worth of personal protective equipment (PPE) yesterday for use in the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation from the United States includes 14,000 isolation gowns and 13,500 coveralls. These items have been challenging to procure and the U.S. government is pleased to assist and support Latvia’s efforts to contain the spread of the virus and to treat those who have been infected.
Upon presenting the donation, Ambassador Carwile said, “As COVID-19 infections grow exponentially on both sides of the Atlantic, across Europe and in the United States, it is important that we stand together and support one another in our efforts to mitigate the damage and to protect our citizens. We are pleased to support emergency and health care workers with this PPE and to show our continued commitment to our excellent friend and ally, Latvia.”
In response to today’s donation, the Ministry of Health stated: “We are grateful and welcome the United States’ Department of State’s support as it will help our health and other specialists to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in the community. The current situation requires not only responsible decision-making and compliance with those decisions, but also the ability to cooperate at the personal and states levels. The United States and Latvia’s relations are a good example of the importance of allies.”
Minister of Defense Artis Pabriks said: “In the conditions created by the global pandemic, the support provided by our allies is significant and we appreciate it very much. This donation is another sign of the good relationship with one of our closest strategic partners – the United States of America.”
With this contribution, the U.S. Government has provided $410,000 in COVID-19 test materials, lab equipment, and PPE to Latvia since the beginning of the pandemic.
