Germany is expected to send a million face masks to Italy | Mladen Antonov/AFP via Getty Images Germany to send face masks to Italy to help deal with coronavirus German government signs contracts worth €163 million to buy medical supplies, according to local media.

Germany is expected to send one million face masks to Italy as it continues to battle the coronavirus outbreak, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

The Italian ambassador to the EU sharply criticized EU countries last week for not stepping up to the plate sooner to help Italy, which is facing the biggest coronavirus outbreak in Europe. Instead, it was China that responded first to Italy's request for assistance in acquiring medical equipment.

The German government has also reportedly ordered medical supply purchases worth €163 million to help tackle the coronavirus crisis, according to the press agency DPA.

The measure, under the leadership of the Bundeswehr Procurement Office, provides for extensive personal protective equipment, disinfectants as well as other medical material urgently needed for the German health care system. To that end, the government already signed 23 contracts with German and international suppliers.