Morocco: Tempting Bread Can Wait, But Not Medical Masks

A leading bakery equipment manufacturer in the North African country of Morocco devised a unique solution to address the scarcity of medical masks to stem the spread of COVID-19 or coronavirus.

Its owners found that the machinery used in producing tempting loaves of bread can be employed to engineer masks to protect health workers from the onslaught of the deadly virus.

Responding to the calls of showing solidarity at these critical times, the bakery equipment producer, operating in the capital Rabat over the past 15-years has not only started rolling out masks but is also distributing them free.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Amin Bennour, the factory's communications officer said the idea of making masks came from factory owners, who were searching for ways to help people to tackle pandemic.

"The engineering department of the company found that the available capabilities and machinery could qualify to manufacture the masks used in hospitals," he said.

He added that it was also decided to distribute them free to doctors, security personnel and cleaners.

The engineering department began producing models of medical masks and distributed them to doctors at public hospitals for free.

"Once we got a response from doctors about their effectiveness, we started producing them on a mass scale. We are distributing them free to public hospitals in Rabat, Casablanca, and Sala," said Bennour.

This voluntary initiative has been grabbing public attention after doctors approved and appreciated the quality of masks.

Many private hospitals and clinics have also approached the factory with requests to supply them masks.

"We are producing on an average of 80 protective masks daily for free distribution to public institutions and sale to private institutions," said the communication officer.

Bordering the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Morocco reported its first case of COVID-19 on March 3.

It declared the medical emergency on March 19 and a lockdown till April 20.

The government in Rabat has created a special fund of 10 billion dirhams ($1 billion) to cover expenses related to the rehabilitation and develop health infrastructure.

According to the U.S.-based John Hopkins Resource Centre, so far Morocco has reported 1,184 infected cases with 90 deaths.

*Bassel Ibrahim contributed to this report from Ankara -