China National Petroleum Corporation, the parent company of PetroChina, has donated 60,000 surgical masks for healthcare professionals.

Of these masks, 30,000 were channeled through the Covid-19 Task Force at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (MEMR) in Jakarta on Tuesday, April 28, 2020. The remaining 30,000 masks were donated through upstream oil regulator SKK Migas’ Covid-19 Donation Task Force in Jakarta on Friday, April 24, 2020.

According to PetroChina Communication Manager Ginandjar, who handed the donations, the surgical masks will be distributed to health workers in red zones in Greater Jakarta and around SKK Migas’ working areas in Indonesia.

“Medical officers are at the frontline in the fight against Covid-19. However, there are still shortages of surgical masks for them, especially in remote areas,” he said. “It’s a small donation, but I hope it will protect the health workers better.”

MEMR’S Covid-19 Task Force chief Endang Sutisna said that the face masks would be distributed to six areas in Greater Jakarta. “We prioritize hospitals,” he said.

As the operator of Jabung Block in Jambi, PetroChina donated personal protective equipment (PPE), face shields, goggles and N95 face masks for health workers in Jambi. PetroChina also supported the disinfection efforts made by the administration of Tanjung Jabung Barat and Tanjung Jabung Timur.

The company has provided fabric face masks and food packages for communities around PetroChina’s working areas who are affected by Covid-19. The two-ply fabric masks are reusable and recommended for non-medical personnel. “Amid the pandemic, a face mask is now part of the basic needs,” Ginandjar added. “The food packages will be distributed soon as we are observing the Ramadan fasting month.”