Beijing, March 16: Chinese billionaire and Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma had said that he will donate 500,000 coronavirus testing kits and one million face masks to the United States. On Monday, Ma shared photos of a China Eastern Airlines plane with boxes of coronavirus test kits and face masks slated to be shipped and donated to the US from Shanghai. He tweeted saying, "The first shipment of masks and coronavirus test kits to the US is taking off from Shanghai. All the best to our friends in America."

Ma described himself as a “teacher, philanthropist, entrepreneur” in his newly created profile, which garnered 27.2k followers in a couple of hours.  Twitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey retweeted Ma’s post, welcoming him to the platform. In a statement, Jack Ma said that the pandemic which we are facing cannot be solved by any one country, and therefore urged people to 'eliminate boundaries to sources" and share “hard-earned lessons.” COVID-19 Scare: US Federal Reserve Slashes Key Interest Rate to Zero Amid Coronavirus Pandemic.

Ma further said, "Drawing from my own country’s experience, speedy and accurate testing and adequate personal protective equipment for medical professionals are most effective in preventing the spread of the virus."

Check Jack Ma tweet:

US has declared a national emergency over the COVID-19 outbreak. Federal Reserve on Sunday announced drastic emergency measures to shore up confidence and keep the financial sector running, including slashing the key interest rate to virtually zero.

In an effort to combat the pandemic which has killed more than 5,800 lives across the globe, the United States and countries across Europe are closing schools, entertainment venues. Schools in New York City have been shut and classes have moved online, and entertainment venues have been ordered to close from Tuesday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 16, 2020 11:34 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).