To begin with, several hundred prisoners have been assigned to the effort in 24 penal institutions throughout the country on orders from Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported on Thursday.
It cited a spokeswoman for the country’s Prison Service as saying that inmates were turning out masks for hospitals, medical facilities and local governments at a rate of around 20,000 a day.
Ultimately production is expected to reach almost 1 million a month, according to the spokeswoman, Elżbieta Krakowska.
In addition to masks, about 200 prisoners have begun making protective clothing for healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak, according to the IAR news agency.
Meanwhile, a prison in Wołów in the southwest of the country plans to contribute to COVID-19 response efforts by making liquid disinfectant.
Output is expected to total about 80,000 litres a month, the IAR news agency said.
(gs/pk)
Source: IAR