Bono writes to South Korean president asking for PPE for Ireland
Bono has written to the South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, asking him to help Ireland tackle the Covid-19 pandemic.
The U2 frontman has asked for personal protective equipment and said he will pay for them himself.
The Asian country was initially one of the worst affected by the global outbreak, but its strong medical response has limited the number of deaths and confirmed cases.
It is understood Mr Moon has agreed to look into the request with health authorities in his country.
In a tweet posted by the president’s office, it said that Bono had asked South Korea for personal protective equipment.
The tweet said: “The letter has arrived from Bono – leader of rock band U2.
“Humanitarian activist Bono, the lead vocalist of U2 and nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, recently sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in.
“It was about asking for help to overcome the Covid-19 crisis. We will deliver a written briefing by spokesman Kang Min-suk.”
It comes after U2 said it was contributing €10m to the purchase of PPE.
The money will be used to source and buy personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline staff.
A spokeswoman for the band confirmed the move to the PA news agency.
Earlier today, South Korea reported 32 additional cases of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, a continued downward trend in new infections in the country.
The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said the additional cases increased the country’s total to 10,512.
It said 7,368 patients have recovered and been released from quarantine, while 13,788 are undergoing tests to determine whether they have contracted the virus.
The centre said that South Korea’s death toll from the coronavirus increased by three to 214.
On Saturday, health officials confirmed 553 new cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, the biggest increase since the outbreak began.
The Department of Health also said a further 286 older cases of Covid-19 have been reported by a laboratory in Germany.
There are 8,928 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Ireland, and another 33 people have died, taking the total to 320.
- Shop for essential food and household goods;
- Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;
- Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;
- Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people
- Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice physical distancing
