Israeli-made face masks to ward off infection from droplets floating around in the air carrying the novel coronavirus will soon be available for local purchase if all goes well.
The country’s first production line for N95 face masks has been inaugurated in a factory in Sderot in a joint project launched by the Defense Ministry together with Sion Medical.
The company plans to produce up to two million masks per month.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz was filled with praise Sunday in a statement announcing the project, pointing out that Israel is preparing for a “second outbreak” of COVID-19 even while trying to minimize reliance on foreign sources of needed materials.
“I commend the head of the Defense Ministry’s procurement department, for his promotion of made-in-Israel produce,” he said. “The State of Israel is at the forefront of the battle against the coronavirus, a virus that has taken a huge toll in human lives across the world, and we are now busy preparing for a second outbreak of the epidemic even as we try to get our lives back to normal as far as possible.
“This development makes us less reliant on foreign sources of necessary materials, and will also provide a boost to the local economy during this difficult financial period. It will also provide jobs for the residents of the South.”