Chinese sister state gives 5,000 masks to chamber of commerce
The Chamber of Commerce of Eastern Connecticut has received 5,000 surgical masks from Shandong Province, Connecticut's sister state, Chamber President Tony Sheridan said Tuesday.
Sheridan said it was a "wonderful surprise" when the Shandong Province governor's staff called about two and a half weeks ago, and asked if there was anything Connecticut needed. Sheridan said personal protective equipment.
Sheridan said three boxes of 5,000 surgical masks arrived Monday. He said they had been sitting at the airport in Anchorage, Alaska, as customs wouldn't release them until the chamber filled out the appropriate forms to become an importer.
He said the chamber will set up a process to distribute the masks to its members — particularly small businesses — and first responders, if needed.
Sheridan had traveled on a trip to Shandong Province that the U.S. Department of Commerce sponsored in 2015. He made contacts that facilitated the visit of a 13-member delegation from the province to eastern Connecticut two months later.
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