City of Surrey and a group in Burnaby reporting successful initiatives to increase the amount of PPE's

The City of Surrey and a group in Burnaby are both reporting successful initiatives to increase the amount of personal protective equipment available to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement from Surrey says 16 of its local manufacturers have re-tooled since the virus hit in March and have now reached four million dollars in sales of protective equipment, also known as PPE.

Surrey says over the last several months, local companies have supplied a range of equipment, including 100,000 face shields and 300,000 litres of disinfectant and hand sanitizers to Canadian firms.

Burnaby-based SafeCare BC says it has arranged for the donation of 1.25 million pieces of personal protective equipment, aiding both the Health Ministry and 225 health care organizations in their search for the items.