Workers at the Tel Ashomer military base near Tel Aviv were on Thursday busy making face masks and visors as Israel tries to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Tal Ashomer is where Israeli Merkava tanks, traditionally used to combat conventional forces of neighbouring Arab states, are manufactured.

But as Israel battles the spread of the COVID-19 disease, which has infected more than 6,800 people in the Jewish state, the military has been asked to lend a hand.

The army at Tal Ashomer has "quickly adapted its production" to churn out thousands of face masks and protective visors daily, Lieutenant-Colonel Hagai Zamir, told AFP.

Zamir, who heads the workshop, said the "factory is working around the clock all year around" to make parts for Merkava tanks and other equipment.

But when the call came to make face masks the military did not hesitate, he said.

"We have the abilities and human resources so we made a quick conversion," Zamir added.

Lieutenant Colonel Emanuel Guedj, who is in charge of military engineering work, said the masks would be distributed to soldiers as well as civilians.

Soldiers, officers, engineers and civilians have also been working on converting containers into virus testing facilities, while others are installing plastic sheets in ambulances to create shields between infected patients and drivers.

According to Guedj, the army has also built a robot capable of disinfecting large areas.

"The army has an advantage: it can work in emergencies. It can provide solutions during wars where the enemy is visible but also in wars where the enemy cannot be seen," he said.

Chief of staff Aviv Kochavi is among senior figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been in precautionary quarantine, though they have not tested positive for COVID-19.

US official denies claim that Americans buying up France's masks
Washington (AFP) April 2, 2020 - A senior US official on Thursday rejected allegations from French politicians that Americans have been snapping up Chinese masks previously ordered by France amid the coronavirus crisis, calling the stories "completely false."

The leader of the Ile-de-France region, which includes Paris, accused unidentified Americans of swooping in with cash to secure shipments already promised to French buyers.

"We lost an order to the Americans who outbid us on a shipment that we had lined up," said Valerie Pecresse, the chief of France's most populous region.

Pecresse claimed that while France pays on delivery for such supplies -- crucial in the global fight against the pandemic -- "Americans pay cash" without bothering to see the goods.

They "are just looking to do business on the back of the whole world's distress," she told LCI television.

A similar accusation was made by the leader of the Grand Est region in northeastern France on Wednesday.

In Washington, a senior administration official told AFP "the United States government has not purchased any masks intended for delivery from China to France. Reports to the contrary are completely false."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday asked officials to look into similar claims that masks were being diverted away from his country, calling such reports "concerning."

"We need to make sure that equipment that is destined for Canada gets to and stays in Canada, and I've asked ministers to follow up on these particular reports," he told a press conference.

Ottawa has recognized that its stockpiles of protective medical equipment are not enough to meet demand, as it looks to care for a surge of infected patients and slow the spread of the virus.

Canada has earmarked Can$2 billion (US$1.4 billion) to buy medical equipment while asking local companies to pivot assembly lines to make masks, medical scrubs and ventilators.

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