Czech authorities said Monday they had sent 110,000 face masks to Italy as compensation for a contingent seized from traffickers that turned out to be part of a donation from China to Italy.

Described as a "theft" by some media, the seizure angered Italy, currently the global epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic with almost 5,500 deaths and its hospitals at breaking point.

There is a massive shortage of protective medical gear in Europe, including the face masks and hazmat suits that medical personnel need to lower the risk of infection with the deadly novel coronavirus.

"We've just sent 110,000 face masks to Italy by bus heading to Rome... along with 43 Italian tourists who could not get back home," Foreign Minister Tomas Petricek told AFP.

"The Czech Republic certainly didn't steal anything," Petricek said, adding that Prague had sent 10,000 more replacement masks of the "same type".

The Italian daily La Repubblica wrote on Saturday that Czech authorities seized Chinese masks intended for Italy's hospitals under guise of a sting against traffickers, in an article titled: "How the Czech Republic sequestered thousands of masks sent from China to Italy."

Petricek said that someone had torn a sign off the Czech consulate in Milan. "I can understand the reaction following the information in the media," he said.

The sting against medical goods traffickers occurred on March 17 as the Czech Republic tightened controls on the export and distribution of medical materials.

Czech police seized 680,000 face masks and respirators from a warehouse of a private company in Lovosice, north of Prague, including just over 100,000 masks donated by China to Italy.

Petricek said police were investigating how the face masks had ended up in the warehouse in Lovosice.

"To be quite frank, Lovosice is not quite en route from China to Italy," Petricek told AFP.

Prague has asked Czechs to remain at home and made wearing face masks mandatory for anyone venturing outside for necessities.

The EU country of 10.7 million people so far has 1,165 confirmed cases and one death.

Austria, Hungary get Chinese masks, gear to fight virus
Budapest (AFP) March 23, 2020 - Austria and Hungary on Monday received masks and other protective gear from China to help in the battle against the new coronavirus pandemic.

Two Austrian Airlines planes from Xiamen in China arrived in Vienna carrying masks and other protective gear destined for Austria's western Tyrol province, as well as South Tyrol province in Italy, according to the carrier and the defence ministry.

Authorities declined to say how many masks were being imported but local media quoted South Tyrol authorities as saying the shipment was part of an order placed by Italy for 1.5 million masks and 450,000 protective suits.

Hungary also received protective gear and coronavirus testing kits from China, Eastern Europe's largest budget carrier Wizz Air said.

One of its planes returned Monday loaded with nearly 11 tonnes of medical supplies, it said.

Hungary plans to keep cooperating with Wizz Air to fly in medical supplies.

"At this difficult time, we are trying our best to contribute to the fight against the epidemic," Wizz Air head Jozsef Varadi said in a statement.

Austria and Hungary are among the latest countries to receive supplies from China, together with Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Greece and Italy.

Hungary, with its population of some 10 million, has reported 167 cases and seven deaths.

Nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has however himself has said that this in underestimate.

Hungary has tripled its capacity to produce masks from 25,000 per day to 80,000 per day, according to Orban, besides buying masks, protective gear and gloves.

Orban insists hospitals have sufficient capacity and has brought in economic measures such as tax exemptions to soften the blow of the virus.

Austria with its nearly nine million people has recorded more than 3,900 cases and 21 deaths.

Strict measures have been put in place in both countries to restrict people's movements and the spread of the virus.

Ukraine gets masks, virus tests from China
Kiev (AFP) March 23, 2020 - A Ukrainian military plane carrying masks, tests and ventilators to fight the spread of the coronavirus has arrived in Kiev from China, the presidency announced Monday.

Ukraine has confirmed 73 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths, according to official statistics.

The health ministry has previously warned of a shortage of ventilators in the ex-Soviet country's intensive care wards.

"We start the new week of our fight against coronavirus with good news," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Monday.

The presidency earlier on Monday said the plane was loaded with 20 tonnes of medical equipment, including two types of tests, 80,000 masks and 10,000 sets of protective coverings for doctors.

It added that ventilators and 500,000 protective masks for soldiers, police and others in direct contact with the population were also delivered.

More flights from China, South Korea and other countries are scheduled this week, Zelensky said, adding the supplies were already being distributed throughout the country.

Pictures of the IL-76 military cargo aircraft at a Kiev airport were also posted on Zelensky's official website.

Ukraine has closed its borders and last week shut metro stations, bars, restaurants and malls to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

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