The company will set-up a Dubai factory to manufacture affordable masks and medical kits, which will then be shipped to affected countries around the world. The coronavirus outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, is reported to have now spread to at least 65 countries, leading to over 3,000 fatalities and more than 100,000 infected individuals.

“One of the biggest challenges the outbreak presents is that people are contracting the disease at a rapid rate, overwhelming healthcare services. We need to contribute to help stem what could very well turn out to be a pandemic We are making an attempt to help manage the growing global shortage of medical supplies by supplying affordable masks and medical kits. In fact, even for the local market, we have kept our pricing very low, at AED30 for 50 masks, to ensure it is affordable and can genuinely support the requirements,” said Shroff.

He also informed that a factory was being set up in Dubai to produce and ship hundreds of thousands of masks and protective gear on a daily basis. “We are setting up a factory in Dubai and we plan to increase our capacity to 300,000 and double it every month moving forward, depending on the severity and spread of the epidemic. This daily production of 300,000 to 600,000 will be primarily supplied to China, where there is a demand of one billion masks, per day.

There are also issues with availability of testing equipment, so we are sending medical testing kits and equipment to as many cities around the world as possible.” He further added that Regal Global Trading was “working with the Government of China and several other governments to supply protective gear” to regions that are experiencing an acute shortage of such supplies.

Regal Global Trading has an established presence in the global trade of a diverse product portfolio from the UAE - including textiles, building materials, heavy equipment, machinery, FMCG, and beauty products. However, given the challenge presented by a possible global pandemic, the company has decided to leverage its established market reach and business network, as part of the response to this emerging crisis. 

“Regal Global Trading operates across the world in 78 countries. That gives us access to some of the most strategic ports and the wherewithal to reach affected countries quickly, to supply them with the medical kits, preventative equipment, disinfectants and other protective gear that is urgently required,” said Shroff. 

The highly contagious virus (SARS-CoV-2) has now spread to several countries other than China, including South Korea, Italy, Iran, Japan, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, India, United States of America, and the United Kingdom.