Coronavirus: Kerala church-goers volunteer to distribute masks for free

Aiming to produce at least 500 masks every day, a group of volunteers associated with the Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA), Kaloor Unit and the Pottakkuzhy Church have been working eight hours a day.

Kochi:With the price of masks either skyrocketing or falling short to serve the increasing demand amid the global outbreak of 'pandemic' coronavirus, a group of good samaritans from Kerala volunteered to help produce and distribute masks - an important requirement to keep to the deadly virus at bay - free of cost

The volunteers, associated with the Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA), Kaloor Unit and the Pottakkuzhy Church, have been pitching in whatever they can with some even using their sewing machines to prepare the masks.

Aiming to produce at least 500 masks every day and handing them over to the state health department, the volunteers have been working eight hours a day.

"Availability of masks is an issue. People either don't get them and even if they do get hold of one, they end up paying extra money. Hence we decided to manufacture masks and distribute them for free," Biju Vallepparambil, KLCA Kaloor unit secretary, told TV Bharat.

"We have the raw material to make around 20,000 masks and we are capable of bringing in more to increase the production. We will be handing over nearly 500 masks to the health officials when they visit today," he added.

More than 25 people from different walks of life have volunteered for the task after Father Sebastian Karukappally, a pastor at Pottakkuzhi Church sought voluntary assistance to help meet the shortage.

"It was Father Sebastian Karukappally's idea to make masks with the help of a few volunteers to address the shortage," said Reena Tony, KLCA women’s wing secretary.

The raw material for the masks has been sourced from the United States of America.

A total of 14 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in Kerala till the time of filing this story.