German media said the US had "skipped a hand" on 200,000 masks shipped from China, but the White House denied it.

German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on April 3 that security sources said 200,000 FFP2 (N95) and FFP3 masks were ordered by the German government for police forces to be "blocked and transferred to the United States".

The newspaper quoted Andreas Geisel, head of Berlin's internal affairs agency, as saying that they ordered 400,000 FFP2 and FFP3 masks of an American company to equip the German capital police in the war. anti-Covid-19. However, when half of these were shipped from manufacturing plants in China to Germany, they were confiscated by US officials at Bangkok airport, Thailand.

Geisel said Germany "sees this as a modern-day robbery, not a way of dealing with partners on the other side of the Atlantic." Berlin police chief Barbara Slowik said the ban on US masks exports could be the cause of this action.

Germany's T-Online website then contacted the White House to ask for information, but the US government denied the allegations. "This is completely false information. The US did not confiscate or take any masks that were shipped to another country," a senior White House official said. "The US will produce a large number of medical devices domestically, using raw materials purchased from other countries through appropriate channels."

US President Donald Trump on April 3 banned the export of masks and other personal protective equipment to ensure domestic supplies of supplies in the context of the country heavily affected by Covid-19. The ban came after the American mask maker 3M announced that stopping the export could affect domestic shipments.

US health officials also recommend that people cover their faces with scarves or face masks when going out in public. The recommendation to wear a US mask could worsen the scarcity of medical supplies in the country and Europe, which is heavily dependent on Chinese supplies.

The US is the largest epidemic region in the world with more than 308,000 nCoV infections, of which more than 8,300 people die. Health experts predict that 100,000-240,000 Americans may die and call on the public to strictly adhere to community segregation recommendations.

Germany recorded more than 85,000 cases, becoming the third largest epidemic area in Europe, of which more than 1,100 died. Chancellor Angela Merkel said there was "a little hope" when the number of daily infections and deaths showed signs of slowing up, but emphasized it was too early to loosen outbreaks.

Covid-19 originated in China in December 2019, appeared in more than 200 countries and territories with more than 1.2 million nCoV infections, more than 64,000 deaths and more than 246,000 people have recovered. The United States is the country with the highest number of infected cases with more than 308,000, Italy has the highest number of deaths with more than 15,000.