COVID-19: Inmates manufacture face masks in Saudi prison

Cairo: Inmates in a Saudi prison have been trained to make protective face masks as the country struggles to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The administration of the Dammam Prison in the Saudi Eastern Region has collaborated with a private design institution to train inmates holding degrees in dressmaking to produce face masks as a voluntary community service, according to a prison official.

“Cloth to make the masks has been received. The daily production will reach 500 face masks after the tailors have professionally learnt the job,” chief of the Dammam Prison Lt.Col. Saud Al Qahtani said, according to Okaz newspaper.

He added that 250 more masks are produced daily in the women’s prison in Dammam.

Wearing the face mask in public is mandatory in Saudi Arabia as part of anti-coronavirus precautions.

Earlier this week, Saudi authorities fully lifted a months-long curfew across the country and allowed all economic activities to resume according to a phased plan for return to normal life.

However, restrictions on international air travel, the Umrah journeys and gatherings of over 50 persons remain in place as part of measures to contain COVID-19.