ST JAMES, Jamaica— The St James Municipal Corporation on Tuesday received a donation of 20,000 medical masks to help improve the parish’s efforts to control and prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

 The masks, donated from the city of Zhuhai in the People’s Republic of China, were officially handed over to Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Leeroy Williams, by businessman and Chairman of the China-Montego Bay Sister City Committee, Yangsen Li.

Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon and Chief Executive Officer of the St James Municipal Corporation, Gerald Lee were also part of the presentation.

Williams thanked Li on behalf of the people of Zhuhai for their continued support and commitment towards helping to bolster the Corporation’s efforts to deter the spread of the virus in the parish. 

“I want to express our profound thanks to Zhuhai in the People’s Republic of China for the presentation of these masks which I am sure will help to control and prevent the spread of Covid-19. I am also sure this will further strengthen the ties of mutual relationship that we have with Zhuhai,” Williams said.

According to Williams, the masks will be distributed to councillors, the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the Office of the Custos of St James, the Ministry of Education, and the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

The masks were delivered as part of a commitment made at the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to initiate the China-Montego Bay Sister City relationship with the city Zhuhai.

Zhuhai is the third city in China to be twinned with Montego Bay. A MoU officially established the sister city relationship between Montego Bay and Zhuhai on February 7, 2021 during a virtual ceremony.

Montego Bay also shares a sister-city relationship with the cities of Hangzhou and Yiwu in the People’s Republic of China.