Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez Wednesday, April 15, visited a department store sewing workshop which has been transformed into a mask production line, producing supplies for a country hard hit by the coronavirus.
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READ MORE: Sanchez was shown around the production space along with Spain's Industry Minister Reyes Maroto and Madrid Mayor Jose Luis Almeida.
Usually the workers would be putting the final touches to bridal gowns, suits, trousers and jackets for El Corte Ingles, Spain's biggest department store chain.
The COVID-19 pandemic has obliged the company to close all its stores.
Spain has recorded more than 177,644 COVID-19 cases and 18,708 deaths.
Italy and Spain are among several European nations that have started to ease strict lockdowns meant to stop the spread of the virus, while France just extended its measures.
President Donald Trump’s announced intention to halt U.S. funding to the World Health Organization is shining a new spotlight on the U.N. agency’s role in combating the coronavirus pandemic and whether it has been too deferential to China, where the virus first erupted.
WHO was one of numerous international organizations created as part of the U.N. in the years after World War II and for seven decades has played a key role in shaping the response to global health crises. Over the years, WHO has helped eradicate smallpox, reduced polio cases by 99% and been on the front lines of the battle against such outbreaks as Ebola.
But the controversy over Trump’s bid to halt the estimated $445 million the U.S. contributes annually to WHO’s $4.8 billion budget — the most of any country — comes at a crucial time. There is no cure or vaccine – and may not be for months or a year – for the disease that as of Wednesday afternoon EDT had killed more than 133,000 people around the globe. (VOA/AP)
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