Prayagraj: Kaushambi jailbirds join corona fight with mask factory

PRAYAGRAJ: A stitch in time can save 800 from the novel coronavirus. Or, so believe the authorities at Kaushambi district jail, where a group of 10 inmates are hunched over clacking sewing machines, working overtime to churn out cloth face masks.
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Coronavirus: What are the symptoms52 testing sites for coronavirus in IndiaHelpline numbers for states and UTsDo fever and cough mean you need Covid-19 test?How to stay safeHow to quarantine yourself at homeJail superintendent BS Mukund told TOI that the team began work on Saturday and was expected to ready masks for 750 inmates and 50 prison staff by Tuesday."Once we are able to cover our own inmates and staff, we will make more masks for other jails," he said.
According to Mukund, a Kaushambi-based NGO had provided around 20 metre cloth and 1,000 pieces of tissue paper for the masks. While seven inmates are cutting the cloth and layering it with tissue, the rest are sewing the masks up.
In yet another precautionary measure, the prison authorities are keeping new inmates isolated from old ones for at least 15 days or until doctors examine the former and issue clearance certificates. "Those with dry cough, fever and similar symptoms will be quarantined, as is mandatory," an official said.
On how the idea of making masks struck them, Mukund said necessity was the mother of invention in their case. "While we were worried about how soon we could procure masks amid the global coronavirus outbreak and the shortage of medical supplies to combat it, inmates who take vocational training suggested that these could be made inside the jail," the superintendent said.
No sooner did prison officials broach the matter with other inmates, many came forward to volunteer and a group of 10 was formed. "This small mask factory on our premises is our big contribution to the society in troubled times," Mukund added.