Apple donates 20 million masks and is manufacturing 1 million face shields a week

The coronavirus pandemic has caused a shortage of emergency equipment and we are now seeing companies step up to lend a hand and ensure doctors have the necessary equipment to fight off the infection. Apple recently announced its decision to allow Apple Card customers to defer the March payments without incurring interest.

The company’s CEO Tim Cook has now announced that Apple has donated more than 20 million face masks worldwide. Not only that, but he also said that the company is manufacturing 1 million face shields a week.

This is a truly global effort, and we’re working continuously and closely with governments at all levels to ensure these are donated to places of greatest need. We plan to ship over 1 million by the end of this week, and over 1 million per week after that. In both these efforts, out focus is on unique ways Apple can help, meeting essential needs of caregivers urgently and at a scale the circumstances require. For Apple, this is a labor of love and gratitude, and we will share more of our efforts over time.

– Tim Cook

The company has asked its engineers, product designers, and suppliers to manufacture and deliver equipment to the different parts of the country. The company is also coordinating with medical professionals around the country to get the equipment where it’s needed and is hoping to help out other countries.

Apple is not the only company that’s working towards curbing the spread of coronavirus. Recently, Microsoft announced that its global supply chain team has secured much-needed supplies which included protective gear, thermometers and more. Apple and Facebook, on the other hand, have donated millions of masks to the healthcare workers in the US and Europe while Razer, Tesla, and SpaceX converted their manufacturing assembly lines to produce surgical masks and ventilators respectively.