CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – APRIL 01: A rack of unrented DIVY bicycles is seen on Michigan avenue during the “shelter in place” order that was continued until April 30 for the COVID-19 crisis in downtown on April 01, 2020 in Chicago, Illinois. The coronavirus pandemic has spread to at least 180 countries and territories across the world, claiming over 40,000 lives and infecting hundreds of thousands more. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) On April 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET, an Israeli cycling team will host a virtual indoor ride as a way to donate N95 masks to medical personnel worldwide.
According to a press release, the Israel Startup Nation (ISN) team will host the ride on Zwift, a video-game platform for cycling, running and other physical exercising activities. ISN minority owner Dr. Kevin Ham will be donating a mask for each participant in the virtual ride; ISN is aiming for at least 1,000 masks.
“There are shortages everywhere,” Ham said. “We will certainly try to deliver one of the next shipments to places like New York.”
ISN held a prior virtual ride on March 29, resulting in the donation of 1,500 masks in the Vancouver area.
“We started the first ride to send a ‘stay at home’ message to all, but now, we want to move further and highlight the need to help the medical ‘troops’ on the Corona-war frontline,” Ham said.
There have been various efforts worldwide to donate masks to medical personnel. The Journal reported that in March, de Toledo High School’s business manager, David Marcus, remembered the school had nearly 2,000 masks in emergency storage for the 2019 fires. He talked to Head of School Mark Shpall, who donated 1,300 of them to Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center and 700 to the Los Angeles Police Department West Hills Police Station in Topanga. Jewish philanthropist and GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson also reportedly donated 2 million masks to hospitals in New York and Nevada earlier in the week.
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