MORE than two million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) have been distributed by Newport City Council during the coronavirus pandemic.

A report on the city council’s coronavirus response says that the council has helped supply PPE to social care providers and schools across Newport.

So far, the council has delivered 947,400 gloves, 620,250 face masks, 591,200 aprons and 28,425 visors and goggles.

Coronavirus has placed “significant pressures on delivering frontline care and support at both residential and non-residential settings”, states the report.

“The council had to manage accessing the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect both staff, residents and service users.

“Day service delivery drivers have been delivering PPE to all social care providers and schools across Newport.”

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Earlier this month the Welsh Government announced that face masks would be compulsory for those aged over 11 in public indoor spaces.

However, many settings had been using PPE since the beginning of the coroanvirus pandemic, and settings such as schools had used the summer holidays to organise their plans for keeping staff and students safe.

In addition to distributing PPE, the council has loaned 1,300 mobile WiFi devices, and more than 800 devices with licence costs for one year paid for by the Welsh Government.

This is to support the 2,565 school students who were found to be “digitally excluded” from accessing online technology such as Google Classroom and video conferencing facilities during the lockdown.