Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma says he is donating 500,000 coronavirus testing kits and one million protective face masks to the United States, Reuters reports. The Chinese billionaire already has pledged 2 million protective masks to European countries. A first shipment of test kits, medical supplies and 500,000 masks intended for Italy, which has been hard-hit by the virus, arriving at Liege Airport in Belgium late Friday.
“The pandemic we face today can no longer be resolved by any individual country,” Ma said in a statement posted to Twitter. “We can’t beat this virus unless we eliminate boundaries to resources and share our know-how and hard-earned lessons.” The US has lagged behind other countries testing for the coronavirus.
Ma started Alibaba in 1999 and helped grow it into a $420 billion business. His estimated net worth is around $37 billion.
President Trump on Friday declared a national emergency over the coronavirus, which the World Health Organization declared is a pandemic. Italy has been among the countries hardest hit by the virus, with the Italian government putting the entire country on lockdown last week.
