Community Care Tasmania is calling for volunteers to donate material and to help sew at least 10,000 more face masks as demand for personal protective equipment continues to grow.
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Supply of masks and available material to make them has started to dwindle across Tasmania, but the need is growing, particularly for clients and staff in the home care sector.
Melissa Griffin, of Lilydale, explains what comes in a face mask kit and how easy they are to sew together:
CCT chief executive officer Wendy Mitchell said it was vital that they had enough face masks to reduce the risk to their vulnerable clients, as well as frontline workers.
She said there was a need for spare fabric, elastic ribbon and bias binding to be used in kits, which would then be sent to people willing to sew together the masks.
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"We're running out of the material needed, so now we're asking people to look in their cupboards and see if they have the spare material," Ms Mitchell said.
"We started off with 10 people sewing last week, now we have 60 people who are either wanting to put the kits together and also sew.
"We're also looking to make face shields so it would be great if people with 3D printers could get in touch - schools as well - to help make the headbands for the shields."
CCT estimated it needed at least another 5000 masks for its staff, and 5000 for clients. The masks must be changed after each encounter with a client, but they are able to be washed after use.
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The organisation has partnered with the Tassie Face Mask Project and hoped that, if they can obtain enough material, face masks could be distributed to all frontline workers as well as supermarket workers.
Ms Mitchell said the face masks had proven effective in stopping the spread of coronavirus overseas.
"It's proven that in smaller countries where everybody has worn a face mask, that the spread has slowed," she said.
"Because we provide home care, we have people going to the houses of people with disabilities, so we need our workers and clients to be protected. The best way to do this is to ensure they have access to a mask that they can change every hour."
To get in touch, visit the Tassie Face Mask Project Facebook page or call Community Care Tasmania on 1300 722 400.