Rome, March 12 Italian football club Inter Milan and its Chinese owners Suning International have donated 300,000 medical masks and other healthcare products to the Italian Civil Protection agency to support the fight against coronavirus, the Serie A giants told Xinhua on Thursday.
"We hope China's successful experience of fighting against the coronavirus can help stop the virus spreading quickly in Italy," said Inter Milan chairman Steven Zhang. "At the same time, we will continue and strengthen our contribution to support Italy in fighting against the emergency."
The move comes after Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced that all shops in Italy apart from grocery stores, pharmacies and selected others would be closed until March 25. The country currently has over 12,000 confirmed coronavirus cases.
Suning and Inter also donated 300,000 medical masks to the city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the coronavirus epidemic. The Suning Group has been providing free shipping services and emergency supplies from overseas to hospitals and local institutions.
Inter played against city rivals AC Milan on February 9 wearing a patch on their sleeves with a message of solidarity to Wuhan and China.
On March 5 the club donated 100,000 euros to the L. Sacco Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences in Milan in support of the institution's research activity.
( With inputs from IANS )