Rihanna Donates COVID-19 Protective Supplies to New York State

Rihanna has donated an undisclosed supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the state of New York in order to assist in containing the coronavirus pandemic.

On Thursday afternoon, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave the pop star a shoutout on Twitter as part of a larger thread, thanking her and the Rihanna Foundation for the donation.

“We’re so appreciative of your help and that of so many others who have stepped up,” Cuomo wrote.

I want to thank @rihanna and the Rihanna Foundation for donating Personal Protective Equipment to New York State.

We’re so appreciative of your help and that of so many others who have stepped up.

5/5

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) March 26, 2020

“Personal protective equipment” is an umbrella term that can include face masks, gloves, safety masks, bodysuits, respirators and other equipment and wearables used to minimize exposure to contagion.

Roughly half of the COVID-19 cases in the United States are within New York State, with the number of confirmed cases approaching 40,000 as of Friday morning. It’s suspected that the high number of cases resulted from New York City’s abnormally high population density, as well as many international travelers coming and returning to the U.S. through New York.

“You will see this in cities all across the country,” Cuomo has stated. “And you will see this in suburban counties all across the country. We are just a test case.”

Earlier this month, Rihanna’s Clara Lionel Foundation donated $5 million to multiple organizations around the world fighting the coronavirus pandemic, including Partners in Health, Direct Relief, Feeding America, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organization and her home country of Barbados.