Madison County sews

Sewers of Madison County have mobilized in the wake of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began advising the public to wear face coverings in public settings where social distancing is hard to maintain, like at the grocery store. Simple masks can be made at home using cloth sewn into a particular pattern. Madison County residents plan to make 5,000 masks.

“It is not just for us,” Ruby Valley Medical Center Chief Nurse Officer Lyn Baughn said.

Studies have shown that a significant portion of coronavirus cases have lacked symptoms, according to the CDC. It is possible for an individual to transmit the virus to others before showing symptoms. The use of simple masks could help prevent people from unknowingly transmitting the disease to others and help slow the spread of COVID-19.

The high demand for N-95 masks needed to fight the pandemic has created a worldwide shortage. All respirator masks need to be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders. Madison County sewers aim to provide its communities with proper simple masks and a reserve for healthcare workers.

“I’ve never met a community in my entire life that has come together so fast,” Baughn said. “This community is utterly amazing.”

Instructions to make a simple mask from cotton or cotton-polyester blend fabric can be found on the CDC and local healthcare provider websites. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQafgvnxc9g&feature=youtu.be

Materials, drop-offs and pick-ups are at the Ennis Town Hall and Walter’s IGA in Sheridan.