Detainees from the Brazilian state of Sao Paulo (southeast) will manufacture 320,000 protective masks against the new coronavirus, Governor Joao Doria announced on Tuesday. "We will have a production of 26,000 masks per day, according to the health standards in force, and it will cost 0.80 real [about 0.15 euro] per mask to the government," said the governor, at a press conference .
Manufacturing is slated to begin this week, mobilizing 200 inmates from five prisons in Brazil's richest and most populous state. Sao Paulo is also the largest source of contamination in the country, with 30 of the 34 deaths recorded and nearly 40% of the 1,891 people infected.
State enters quarantine
As the coronavirus pandemic gains ground, Brazil, like many other countries in the world, is hit by the shortage of medical supplies. This concerns protective masks and antibacterial gel.
The State of Sao Paulo officially entered this Tuesday in "quarantine". All the businesses considered to be “non-essential” have closed, but the containment measures are less restrictive than those taken in Europe or in neighboring Argentina.
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