The distribution of alcohol and alcohol gel, produced by AIBA members, is under way, an initiative that aims to "support the government in actions to control and combat the pandemic", as the president of the Association, Manuel Sumbula, told Lusa.
According to the association's leader, the production line of protective masks, whose machines are already installed in the municipality of Viana, a "noble initiative" for beverage manufacturers, should be in operation from next week.
"To help the health sector staff in the quarantine centres, because in fact it's time to work in harmony and help the authorities to face up to the situation," he said.
The president of AIBA also said that among the direct actions of the sector, he has regularly provided "enormous amounts" of water, juices and sometimes soft drinks, because at that stage "there is an enormous need for the consumption of liquids".
They make available "both to the Intersectoral Commission for Pandemic Control and to the National Institute for Medical Emergencies, quarantine centres and the national police", he stressed.
"These are a series of measures that we are already implementing, but alongside that there are other issues that we would like to dialogue with the government to see what more we can do in view of the situation the country is going through", he said.
Angola, which this Thursday is the seventh day of the state of emergency to contain the spread of covid-19, has eight confirmed cases of the disease, including two deaths and one recovered patient.
More than a thousand people in the country are in institutional and home quarantine.
Masks, gloves, alcohol gel and blue soap are among the most sought-after sanitizing products to protect the new coronavirus, yet scarce in markets and pharmacies.
When asked about AIBA's investment volume for the assembly of the masks production line, Manuel Sumbula referred only to a "very noble initiative" because, he observed, all the means were made available by the associates.
"The production line was one of those aids that came in handy, with the contribution of fabrics, from space. The same thing happened with the availability of alcohol, we have associates who produce, from alcohol gel, products for free distribution", he stressed.
In the context of the state of emergency, which runs until 11 April, with restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles, Sumbula also asked for a "methodical approach" of police personnel and security in contact with wholesale distributors.
