The coronavirus pandemic has led to a national shortage of personal protection equipment for medical personnel such as face masks and gowns, and crafters are lending a hand.
Joann, one of the nation鈥檚 largest fabric and craft retailers, launched a program this week to donate fabric and training to make masks. On the first day of the effort, according to spokesperson Amanda Hayes, 鈥渨e donated approximately 10,000 yards of fabric, which equates to about 100,000 masks.鈥�
The national chain is training volunteers in its stores on how to make the masks and gowns. But it鈥檚 limiting the sizes of those classes to maintain social distancing.
鈥淥r even if we鈥檙e just operating as a ship-from-store location, we鈥檙e still able to get inventory out so that people can create from their home,鈥� Hayes said.
Joann鈥檚 is also offering , as are other crafty groups like The Turban Project and Sewing for Lives.
It should be noted that homemade masks, like conventional paper surgical masks, do not provide a reliable level of protection from inhaling smaller airborne particles.
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