Arnold Shwarzenegger has donated $1,000,000 ($800,000) in masks to support frontline health workers in their fight to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

The movie legend backed a fundraising page for Flexport.org, an international aid group that is working to deliver life-saving medical equipment to those who need it most.

As part of his work with the group, the star helped deliver almost 50,000 masks to a hospital in Losa Angeles, US.

Speaking about the initiative, the 72-year-old said: “Our doctors, nurses and hospital staff are the real action heroes of this crisis. I just play one in the movies.

“We have an opportunity and a responsibility to provide them with personal protective equipment right now to keep them safe as they fight this virus, so when I heard about Flexport.org’s plan, this was a no-brainer to me.

“With all of the courageous work they are doing on the frontlines to keep us safe, buying a few hundred thousand masks with a million dollars is the least I can do. Please take a moment to join me in supporting our heroes.”

In a video posted to his Facebook page, Schwarzenegger shared an update on how the delivery had gone.

Standing in front of a mountain of boxes in an LA hospital, he said: “A week ago, we went and we ordered a million dollars worth of masks and protective gear for our nurses and for our doctors and our medical workers here at the hospitals around Los Angeles.

“And now I’m here to check out if, in fact, it got here and if the right masks got here.

“All of this here is part of the shipment right here to the hospital.”

Pulling out a pack from one of the boxes, he then says: “The 95 mask. That’s exactly what everyone is looking for – it keeps them healthy, fit, and alive.

“Mission accomplished.”

This comes after the Australian government moved quickly to make price gouging and the export of essential medical supplies an offence amid the coronavirus pandemic.

With the outbreak of Covid-19, there have been some horrible stories of retailers and individuals selling things such as hand sanitiser at outrageous rates because the demand was high.