Gendarmerie facility starts mask production

ANKARA

A facility belonging to the Gendarmerie Forces has commenced the production of protective masks as part of the country’s efforts to fight against the coronavirus pandemic, which has already killed more than 100 people in Turkey.

The mask production, which began following a request from the Interior Ministry, is taking place at an atelier in Ankara.

Employees of the facility make up to 100,000 masks in a day working in three shifts. The masks will be delivered to law enforcement officers and members of the Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD) as well as Vefa social support groups.

Meanwhile, Education Minister Ziya Selçuk has said that the country’s vocational high schools had produced around 500,000 surgical masks within a week.

The Education Ministry selected nearly 40 vocational high schools in the country’s 21 provinces for mask production.

“Those schools are working hard to boost their output and make different products,” Şelçuk told Anadolu Agency.

Vocational schools are particularly focusing on the production of cleaning materials, disinfectants and masks, they managed to put out some 500,000 masks in such a short period of time, the minister said, adding that governors are in charge of the distribution of those materials.

Selçuk added that new schools soon will join the nationwide efforts.

“Thus, we will be able to achieve 2 million units production capacity for surgical masks,” the minister said.
On a related note, demand for disposable cutlery and plastic cups has exploded in the wake of the pandemic, according to Cesur Çaça from the Turkish Plastics Industrialists’ Foundation (PAGEV).

“We have launched a project with the Education Ministry for the production of those materials.

“Disposable cutleries and cups will be sent to hospitals and people who are kept under quarantine for free,” Çaça said.