Australian Department of Defence donates stock of PPE to Navy

The Department of Defence of Australian Government handed over a stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) worth Rs. 23.4 million to Sri Lanka Navy, during a simple ceremony held at the official residence of the Australian High Commissioner in Colombo today (14th August 2020).

While augmenting the coordinated efforts of the government to control the spread of COVID-19, Sri Lanka Navy has been conducting a wide range of programmes which include sterilization of public places, setting up of disinfection chambers and development of remote-controlled smart appliances, making use of expertise of naval personnel. Apart from that, the Navy has been operating several quarantine centres across the island, which has been set up to arrest possible transmission of 'COVID-19'.

In this backdrop, Defence Adviser of the Australian High Commission in Sri Lanka, Group Captain Sean Unwin symbolically handed over a stock of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne in appreciation of the Navy’s efforts in fighting the spread of the coronavirus. This generous gesture saw handing over of 12,000 PPE kits and 200,000 hand gloves worth Rs. 23.4 million. The occasion was also attended by High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka, His Excellency David Holly.