Whether it is by offering discounts to medical workers, donating money, or prioritising the safety and financial security of its employees, companies are going out of their way to support coronavirus efforts — and it’s not always the organisations you would expect. One such unsuspected company is Pornhub. Yes, you read that right.
On March 24, the leading adult entertainment streaming platform announced it is donating 50,000 surgical masks to New York area medics and first responders such as emergency medical technicians and firefighters. The contribution comes in direct response to the shortage of protective gear in the city as the total confirmed cases in New York surged, making it one of the largest epicentres of the outbreak in the world.
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“These masks are mission critical in the fight against the COVID pandemic,” said Joe Calderone, senior vice president at Long Island’s Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital, in a press release. “They will help keep our nurses, physicians, and support staff safe from infection while caring for those who are stricken with the disease.”
This donation is part of Pornhub’s COVID-19 relief efforts which also includes a 50,000 euro donation to help organisations in Italy, Spain, and Germany buy much-needed masks and medical equipment. The company is also deducting its processing fees from videos they sell so everyone uploading videos can keep all of the proceeds. Additionally, Pornhub is donating around £21,000 to the Sex Workers Outreach Project to support relief funds for sex workers affected by COVID-19. Currently, most government financial relief efforts do not adequately address sex workers and those who are self-employed.
To take it one step further – and to encourage people to stay home – Pornhub is offering its premium service, for free worldwide for the next 30 days. “With nearly one billion people in lockdown across the world because of the coronavirus pandemic, it’s important that we lend a hand and provide them with an enjoyable way to pass the time,” Pornhub Vice President's Corey Price said in a statement.
Pornhub is one of many companies going out of their way to donate time and money to supporting the fight against the coronavirus. Beauty brands, fashion companies, and restaurant chains are donating online sales, giving products to homeless shelters, and funding the creation of hospital clinics in an effort to increase the reach of medical workers and to support those affected by the outbreak. Some fashion designers are even redirecting employees working from home to make protective masks for medical workers. Even one of television’s most popular medical procedurals, Grey’s Anatomy, is donating masks and gowns in an effort to make sure that everyone working to fight the virus can also protect themselves in the process.