The first consignment of a £60 million order for Personal Protection Equipment from China has arrived in Northern Ireland. The Stormont Executive said 1.5 million Type 11R respirator masks arrived in Belfast in recent days.
In total, just over 63 million masks and more than 54 million pairs of protective gloves have been purchased. The delivery of the first consignment comes two months after a major order for PPE from China failed to materialise.
Details of the delivery were announced in a joint statement by Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann and Finance Minister Conor Murphy.
They said the remainder of the order will be delivered on a phased basis over coming weeks and would be a major boost for local health and social care