The Czech Republic will offer 10,000 protective suits to Italy and Spain, the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, Interior Minister Jan Hamáček said on Twitter.

Hamáček said this country has 250,000 protective suits and more are on the way, while Italy and Spain “desperately need” such gear.

Foreign Minister Tomáš Petříček on Wednesday indicated additional assistance to those countries could come in the form of sending Czech military medical teams. However, Defence Minister Lubomír Metnar said on Thursday such personnel could not be spared.

The Czech Republic has many protective suits in part because, since joining NATO in 1999, it has focused on further developing its expertise in countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats.