Coronavirus: Florida inmates sewing 10K masks to help protect medical professionals during pandemic

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — Thousands of masks are being created by inmates in Florida's Lake County Jail to help keep local medical professionals protected during the COVID-19 outbreak.

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The people participating are part of the jail’s sewing and textiles work program, which launched two years ago to help give people skills to use in the work force when they are released.

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With personal protection equipment in short supply, the masks they are making will be sent to Lake County EMS.

“They are designed for patient care, meaning that as a patient presents with symptoms such as fever and cough, (the masks) will be used to be placed on the patient and help stop the spread of COVID-19,” said John Herrell, with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

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The sheriff’s office partnered with Lake Support and Emergency Recovery Inc. (LASER), which provided all the materials for the masks.

“They’ve asked us to produce up to 10,000 of them, and once we get those made we will continue to make more, and we will as long as the need exists,” Herrell said.