Standard Chartered Bank Korea, wholly owned by London-based Standard Chartered Bank, donated 5,000 face masks to a hospital in Daegu, which has become the epicenter of the novel coronavirus here since early last month, the bank said Monday.

The masks were provided by Standard Chartered PLC via its Greater China and Northeast Asia headquarters in Hong Kong in a bid to help its Korean employees and clients, the firm said. SC Bank Korea donated the masks to Keimyung University Dongsan Medical Center after securing the amount needed for its emergency operations and employees.

“We would like to thank all health care workers and volunteers for their commitment in combating the COVID-19,” Standard Chartered Bank Korea CEO Park Jong-bok said.

SC Bank Korea has been steadily contributing to efforts to tackle the spread of the coronavirus here. It donated around 132 million won ($104,500) through a fundraiser held earlier this month to help contain the virus.

Daegu, a metropolis of some 2.4 million people about 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, has been the main battleground of COVID-19 mass infections in Korea since February.

As of early Monday, the nation‘s total infections stood at 8,961, according to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The total number of confirmed cases in Daegu and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, stood at 6,411 and 1,256, respectively.

By Jung Min-kyung (mkjung@heraldcorp.com)