Texas prison inmates are making cotton face masks that will be given to first responders for free to alleviate a shortage of medical materials during the coronavirus pandemic, state Sen. John Whitmire said.
Prisoners in a unit at Gatesville Correctional Facility, a women's prison located about 120 miles south of Dallas, have been producing the masks for about a week and will continue for at least the next week, he said. They expect to produce about 25,000 masks, Whitmire said.The masks are made from locally grown cotton, rather than synthetic material, so they aren't of the highest standards, he said.
As a last resort, the agency said that health care providers could consider using"homemade masks" -- like bandanas or scarves -- to care for coronavirus patients, ideally in combination with a face shield.Medical workers around the country have been sharing on social media their struggles to get appropriate medical gear using the hashtag #GetMePPE, which stands for personal protective equipment.
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