Las Vegas Sands has announced that it will donate 2 million medical masks and 20,000 protective suits to help healthcare professionals, first responders and nonprofit organizations in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Medical mask donations will be distributed in the company's corporate headquarters of Nevada, as well as New York, which has become the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the United States. Each state will receive 1 million masks. The 20,000 protective suits will be donated to hospitals and first responders in Nevada.
"Hopefully, our donations will help protect people on the front lines so they can continue their invaluable work, and we can start to see the numbers of people affected begin to diminish," Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon G. Adelson said.
This contribution marks the second round of personal protective equipment donations Sands has made. The company previously provided 100,000 masks to the Las Vegas health-care community and 5,000 masks to the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. It also donated 1,900 coronavirus test kits to the state of Nevada.
"People are looking to New York as a bellwether for what comes next, both in terms of the pandemic's impact and for how quickly the region, particularly New York City, is able to recover from the aftermath of the virus," Adelson said. "It's important we steer resources to the places where the need is the greatest and most urgent."
In addition to the protective gear donations, Sands is fulfilling its pledge to give $250,000 to several important local organizations during this time of need. The company is making contributions to Three Square, Southern Nevada's largest hunger-relief organization; Communities In Schools, which is helping provide meals to students who would otherwise be participating in their school's free and subsidized meal programs; and Share Village Las Vegas, a veterans assistance organization that also runs a community food pantry.
Sands also has donated 60 pallets of food and more 55,000 bottles of water to local organizations. In addition, the company is currently paying each of its nearly 10,000 Las Vegas team members, along with providing full healthcare benefits, while its properties remain closed.
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