A woman attends a face mask distribution ceremony in Maputo, Mozambique, on July 31, 2020. The government of Maputo distributed some 13,000 face masks to 4,500 vulnerable women and girls in the city's markets to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Friday. (Photo by Leo Pedro/Xinhua)
MAPUTO, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The government of Mozambique's capital city Maputo distributed some 13,000 face masks to 4,500 vulnerable women and girls in the city's markets to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on Friday.
The masks were supported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the commercial bank BCI in line with the municipality's Plan for Control and Prevention of COVID-19 in the city.
The beneficiaries are mainly vendors from the main markets in Maputo, the group of population that are also worst hit by the pandemic in the informal sector.
Maputo city mayor Eneas Comiche, who spoke at the launching ceremony of the mask distribution, said that the city has been witnessing an increase in the COVID-19 cases and became the leading city in terms of the confirmed cases across the country.
The mayor said right measures are necessary to be taken in order to prevent the pandemic from worsening and one of them is the epidemiological survey scheduled to start on next Monday.
Assessment shows that women faced enormous income losses even in the early days of the pandemic, said the representative of UN Women in Mozambique at the ceremony.
The mask distribution is also part of the activities of the African Women Day celebrated every July 31. Enditem
