Israeli inmates to mass produce protective face masks

The masks will initially be supplied within the prison service. Eventually, the IPS hopes to produce enough masks to provide them to security forces and first responders.

By Amir Kurtz, Calcalist

Israeli inmates have started to manufacture protective face masks to support the fight against the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) announced Thursday.

The masks will initially be supplied within the prison service. Eventually, the IPS hopes to produce enough masks to provide them to security forces and first responders.

Five correctional facilities throughout the country will be dedicated to mask production, with the IPS estimating they would reach a production rate of 3,000 to 5,000 masks per day.

The masks, made from fabric so that they could be washed and reused, will be manufactured in three colors: light blue masks for prison guards and staff, orange masks for inmates, and brown masks for high-security prisoners.

The inmates working on the masks production line will follow the Ministry of Health’s guidelines and be in “full coordination with the ministry and other relevant government agencies,” the IPS said in a statement.

On Monday morning, Israel recorded more than 8,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, out of which 106 are currently reliant on ventilators. Nearly 500 people have recovered from the disease in Israel.